- Svitolina to face third seed Pegula
- Vondrousova and Jabeur progress
- Sabalenka overcomes Burrage
Elina Svitolina demonstrated her resilience as she came from behind to secure victory against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the US Open. Svitolina bounced back after dropping the first set to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, setting up an intriguing third-round clash with American third seed Jessica Pegula.
Pegula, aged 29, continued her impressive run on the North American hard-court circuit with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig. Pegula, known for her consistency, has reached the quarter-finals in each of the Grand Slam tournaments but has yet to progress beyond the last eight. She is set to face the Ukrainian 26th seed Svitolina in what promises to be an exciting showdown on Saturday.
Svitolina continues impressive return
Svitolina, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon just last month, has made a remarkable return to professional tennis. She resumed her career in April after giving birth in October, and her victory over Pavlyuchenkova showcased her determination and tenacity. The match was a rollercoaster, with Svitolina battling through a closely contested second set before surging to a 4-0 lead in the deciding set. However, the Russian Pavlyuchenkova responded by winning the next three games, setting the stage for a nervy finale. Svitolina managed to hold her nerve, winning two crucial service games to secure her place in the next round.
Reflecting on her performance, Svitolina admitted, “It was a very tough match. I didn’t play so well. I was up and down.” Despite the ups and downs, she ultimately emerged victorious and will now focus on her upcoming clash with Pegula.
Vondrousova cruises through
Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova continued her impressive form, breezing past Italian Martina Trevisan with a score of 6-2, 6-2. This marked Vondrousova’s ninth consecutive Grand Slam victory.
Jabeur overcomes illness, Sabalenka progresses
Tunisian fifth seed Ons Jabeur, who narrowly missed out on the Wimbledon title and was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows last year, battled through illness to defeat 18-year-old Czech Linda Noskova in a challenging match. Jabeur secured the win with a score of 7-6 (7-6), 4-6, 6-3.
Russian 13th seed Daria Kasatkina mounted a comeback after dropping a set and falling behind in the match to beat American opponent Sofia Kenin 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.
American Madison Keys, the runner-up at the 2017 US Open, showcased her dominance by comfortably defeating Belgian Yanina Wickmayer with a score of 6-1, 6-2, completing the match in just 54 minutes.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka proved to be a formidable force, overpowering Britain’s Jodie Burrage with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Betting Implications
Iga Swiatek remains favourite to win the title, the world number one is currently 15/8 with bet365. The Stoke-based bookie have Sabalenka at 10/3, ahead of Coco Gauff, 5/1, and Elena Rybakina, 13/2. Pegula is next at 8/1, with the bookies taking into account the difficulty of her next match where she faces Svitolina. Those looking to bet on Jabeur need to look at how she recovers from illness after she managed to get through her second round match.
