DUBAI: Jessica Pegula handed Karolina Pliskova a second hefty defeat in as many weeks as she knocked out the sixth-ranked Czech 6-0, 6-2 to march into the Dubai quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The American world No 36, who enjoyed a breakthrough run to the quarters at the Australian Open last month, needed a mere 53 minutes to send Pliskova packing in even more dominating fashion than the straight-sets drubbing she gave her last week in Doha.
Pegula has now won 13 of her last 15 matches on tour and is through to the quarter-finals at a WTA 1000-level tournament for the second time in her career.
“This is definitely the best of any other year I’ve had (on tour),” said the 26-year-old, who next faces Caroline Garcia or Elise Mertens for a place in the final four.
She added: “I’m just really happy I’m able to do it, especially in a time where, with the pandemic it’s been really hard to know what’s going to happen in the future, so I think also in a way maybe it helped me mentally not to take each match for granted.
“I’m definitely going out there competing as hard as I can just with all that’s going on in the world.”
A Pliskova double fault handed Pegula an early break of serve and the American did not blink en route to a 20-minute 6-0 lead.
Pliskova started the second set on better footing, breaking serve in the opening game, but Pegula pegged her back and stormed to victory when her second-seeded opponent struck her seventh double fault of the match.
Over on Court 1, Czech world No 63 Barbora Krejcikova reached her first quarter-final at this level with a 6-3, 6-2 success over Russian three-time finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova.
On Tuesday, top-seeded Elina Svitolina suffered a “disappointing” 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 defeat to Kuznetsova in her Dubai opener as American teen sensation Coco Gauff fought “fire with fire” to come through a tension-fuelled second round against Marketa Vondrousova.
Fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova, meanwhile, was forced to retire through injury from her evening clash with Jil Teichmann.
Kuznetsova rallied back from a set and an early break down to knock out the two-time champion and record her 21st match-win in Dubai—the highest tally among active WTA players.
The 35-year-old Russian is a three-time runner-up in the UAE showpiece and next has a last-16 showdown with Barbora Krejcikova, who ousted former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko.
“Obviously the loss is very tough because I think I started the match quite good and I was feeling good going into the tournament and I really love to play here in Dubai. The result is really disappointing,” said the fifth-ranked Svitolina.
Contesting a seventh consecutive three-set match, Gauff needed two hours to dismiss the Czech 12th seed 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 and set up a third-round meeting with qualifier Tereza Martincova.
The contest took on an edge when 16-year-old Gauff complained to the umpire about how Vondrousova was catching her ball toss with her racquet instead of letting it bounce or capturing it with her hand, which she believed to be against the rules.
The incident sparked some tension—there was no apology from Gauff when she aimed a drive volley directly at Vondrousova’s body and the Czech also forewent the courtesy apology when she claimed a point via a lucky net cord.
“My personality, I fight fire with fire,” said Gauff.
“I lost those two points that game, and she had wild screams, and I like to scream, so I screamed back.”
Gauff, who is ranked 38, turns 17 on Saturday, the day of the Dubai final and is keen to celebrate in style.
“That’s definitely a big motivation,” said the Florida-based Gauff.
In an all-lefty night-session affair, Swiss debutante Teichmann secured passage to the third round when Kvitova was forced to withdraw midway through the second set.
A champion in Doha three days ago, Kvitova dropped the opening set 6-2 after receiving treatment for a right inner thigh injury. The 2013 Dubai winner led Teichmann 4-1 in the second set but Kvitova lost her break advantage and had to end the match two games later.
“Unfortunately since my semi-final in Doha I felt my adductor, with abdominal, and it didn’t get any better, and in the second set it just got a little bit worse and I felt pain almost everywhere on that right leg, so unfortunately I couldn’t really move how I wanted,” explained Kvitova after the match.
Third seed Aryna Sabalenka made quick work of Frenchwoman Alize Cornet while reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek enjoyed a winning debut in Dubai as she eased past Japanese lucky loser Misaki Doi 6-2, 6-4.
The Polish teenager will next tackle two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza, whom Swiatek has recently described as the player she’d like to face the most.
