Pegula and Navarro Advance to US Open Third Round with Strong Wins

NEW YORK — American tennis players Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro moved into the third round of the US Open with impressive straight-set victories on Wednesday.

Pegula, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, defeated Anna Blinkova 6-1, 6-3 in just 64 minutes on the Grandstand court. The win extends Pegula’s remarkable performance, as she is now the first American woman to reach the third round in New York for six consecutive years since Madison Keys.

“I knew if Anna got into a groove she could be really dangerous,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “I just wanted to take control right away, not let her dictate.” Pegula will face Victoria Azarenka in the next match, who won against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Navarro, ranked No. 10, also enjoyed a dominant performance, easily defeating fellow American Caty McNally 6-2, 6-1. Navarro converted seven of eight break points during the match, finishing it in just 76 minutes.

“It was a little bit quicker than I tend to play my matches, but it wasn’t easy,” Navarro said. Her next challenge will be against two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Both players are building on their success from last year’s tournament, where they each reached the semifinals. However, a potential quarterfinal matchup looms if they keep advancing.

Pegula’s victory brings her total to 20 wins on American soil this year, more than any other player on the Hologic WTA Tour. She has also won 13 consecutive matches against opponents ranked outside the Top 50 at the US Open.

In addition to Pegula and Navarro, Taylor Fritz advanced as well, overcoming a tricky match against South Africa’s Lloyd Harris. He rallied back after losing the first set to win 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-4.

“It’s always difficult when a guy like Lloyd comes out swinging freely,” Fritz said. “I just had to hang tough, get through the breaker, and then I felt like I found my rhythm.”

The successful outings on Wednesday reflect a positive day for American tennis, despite Brandon Nakashima’s close loss earlier in the day.