Perfectionist Jessica Pegula says she can beat anybody
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 20, 2023 Jessica Pegula of the U.S. reacts during her third round match against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk REUTERS/Sandra Sanders
MELBOURNE – Jessica Pegula is oozing confidence at the Australian Open with the belief that she can beat anybody but the American third seed said being a perfectionist meant she would still pick holes in her game after Friday’s thumping win.
Pegula cruised into the fourth round with a 6-0 6-2 win over Marta Kostyuk after similarly impressive straight-sets victories against Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Jaqueline Cristian earlier in the week to stay on course to claim her maiden Grand Slam crown.
Article continues after this advertisementShe also dismantled top-ranked Iga Swiatek — the favorite at the year’s first Grand Slam — and left the Pole in a flood of tears during the season-opening United Cup mixed team tournament which the Americans won.
“I definitely played very well against Iga,” Pegula told reporters. “I’ve also played a lot of great matches this week, as well. I’ve backed up my level. I think I can beat anybody.
“But again, in the moment, under pressure, with nerves, on a different stage, depending on the conditions that day or how they’re playing as well, that can always change and shift throughout a match.
Article continues after this advertisement“But, yeah, I feel very confident that my game is at a very, very high level right now.”
A quarter-finalist in the last two years, Pegula said there were still some aspects to her game that she needed to improve on despite a convincing win to set up a meeting with former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
“I’m kind of a perfectionist,” she explained. “Even today, I was annoyed. I didn’t think I served very well. I had that game to go up 5-1. I was up 30-0. I missed a couple of first serves.
“I don’t have a problem analyzing my game. Usually, I’m trying to do the opposite because I can over-analyze and be kind of a perfectionist in that way.
“As far as how I’m playing, I’m definitely playing a lot better than I was last year here. I think I just got better in the off-season as well. We worked on a couple things.
“Sometimes it’s hard to really say that because it’s such a short off-season, it’s like how much can you really improve. At the same time, I did pretty well last year.”
