Emma Raducanu blows three match points and Pegula punishes with a final-set bagel at China Open

Emma Raducanu squandered three match points in the tough defeat to Jessica Pegula with a score of 3-6, 7-6 [11-9], 6-0, which propels the World No. 7 into the Round of 16 of the China Open. The American secured an agonizing win, in which she had to come from behind to overwhelm the British star.

From the start, the match was seen as one of the most interesting duels on the draw, with the former US Open champion in good form in recent months and with the chance to finally secure her position as a Top-30 player at the end of the year. The players had three previous encounters, with a positive H2H for the American at 2-1.

It was a tight battle during the first two sets, where Raducanu took the lead in the first part and then wasted a clear advantage in the second set. The former Top-10 player let three match points slip away and suffered an emotional collapse in the final part of the match, leading to her elimination against an impressive Pegula, who will face 23rd seed Marta Kostyuk in her next match.

Raducanu's serving power secures opening set

The first set quickly swung in favor of the Brit, who took an opening break and saved up to three break points to jump ahead 3-0, even though the match felt rather even at the start. Raducanu (No. 32) was up 4-1 and had a chance for a double break, but Pegula showed resistance to stay alive in the set—and then recovered the break, narrowing the gap to 4-3 in favor of the European.

Pegula needed to hold her serve to level the set, but she ended up conceding an opportunity to her opponent, and Raducanu went ahead again. With the chance to serve for the set, Raducanu took the lead 6-3 after a more than solid first set, where she landed 73% of her first serves, winning 63% of those—well above Pegula's 56% first-serve percentage, where she won 57% of the points.

Pegula fights off match points to force a decider

Things got even more interesting in the second set, when Raducanu took the lead with a break in the third game, but Pegula immediately got the break back, and everything was level again at 2-2. Pegula had some difficulties with her first serve and had to save several break points, but she managed to stay alive until the tie-break, with neither player conceding their serve again along the way.

The American started with the advantage in the tie-break, but Raducanu responded by winning five consecutive points—to lead 5-2. It was a tight tie-break where Raducanu squandered up to three match points, before Pegula recovered a set that seemed lost, winning 7-6 [11-9].

Pegula bags the decider as Raducanu fades

For Pegula, after surviving the tie-break that lasted over 10 minutes, the dynamic of the match completely shifted. Raducanu seemed emotionally and physically spent, and the third set became a formality. The World No. 7 immediately took an opening break and quickly increased her advantage on serve.

Raducanu went from landing over 70% of her first serves during the first two sets to barely hitting 50% in the third set, which was undoubtedly capitalized on by Pegula, who particularly attacked the second serves of a now erratic Raducanu who had lost her rhythm against her opponent. Pegula, buoyed by the dramatic second-set victory, delivered a crushing 6-0 bagel in the deciding set to seal the comeback and advance to the next round.

Match Statistics Raducanu vs. Pegula