Pegula gives US a United Cup final lead

Darren Walton | January 8, 2023

Jessica Pegula has continued her hot summer run to give Team USA the perfect start to the United Cup final against Italy in Sydney.

The world No.3 withstood a spirited challenge from Martina Trevisan to post a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 victory on Sunday to put the United States up 1-0 in the best-of-five-match tie.

The 27th-ranked Trevisan, who took down world No.1 Maria Sakkari in Italy’s semi-final defeat of Greece, troubled Pegula in the opening set with her fearless big-hitting.

Pegula, though, kept her cool and gained the fifth and final service break of the set to seize the ascendancy.

Reeling off seven straight games, Pegula skipped out to a 5-0 lead in the second set but the left-handed Trevisan rallied once more before Pegula closed out the match after 90 minutes.

“Definitely very relieved,” Pegula said.

“First match of the day, first match of the final and Martina’s playing great.

“She’s a fighter, she’s competing and I feel like she’s thriving off the atmosphere here with the fans and her team and it’s really hard to beat someone like that.”

Highlighted by a stunning upset of world No.1 Iga Swiatek, Pegula has now won four straight singles matches at the new mixed teams’ event, plus four mixed doubles encounters in a most impressive Australian Open build-up.

US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe, unbeaten so far in the inaugural United Cup, faces Lorenzo Musetti in Sunday’s opening men’s singles match, looking to tighten the screws even further for the Americans at Ken Rosewall Arena.

World No.9 Taylor Fritz then plays Italy’s 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini before Madison Keys, who’s also undefeated in four singles matches for the USA, takes on Lucia Bronzetti.

Fritz and Pegula are slated to play Berrettini and Trevisan in the mixed doubles, if the tie is still alive after the four singles rubbers.