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Jessica Pegula Makes Feelings Clear on Tough Wuhan Conditions As She Battles Past Ekaterina Alexandrova

Originally posted on EssentiallySports | By Mintu Tomar | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 11:14 AM ET

China is proving to be a tough pill to swallow for tennis players right now. The extreme weather conditions, with temperatures soaring to 44C degrees at daytime, have forced a lot of athletes to back out. While the Shanghai Masters is dealing with humidity, the Wuhan Open isn’t faring any better with WTA players struggling on the court. Still, some of them, like Jessica Pegula, have shown resilience and have been able to hold their ground, keeping their campaigns alive. Now, she has just passed another litmus test.

On Thursday, Pegula faced Russian pro Ekaterina Alexandrova in the R16. The Center Court, where the two were playing, had its roof closed early due to the heat in order to prevent any hindrances. However, Pegula had yet another obstacle to overcome. Alexandrova’s game was airtight, leaving Pegula with no space to breathe despite snatching the first set. The Russian star leveled the fight in the second. However, Pegula stormed back in the deciding set. With a final scoreline of 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, she took the match away from Alexandrova.

Interestingly, it was the sixth straight three-set battle that Pegula has played lately. It was her fifth such match that she won in the end. Clearly, she was relieved and elated after overcoming adverse conditions and Alexandrova’s threat. During the post-match interview, the World No.6 confessed, “I can’t remember the last time I played two sets,” while adding, “I’ve been competing really hard and I’ve been playing a lot of really good players.”

Moreover, she revealed how tough it was to cope with the challenging weather in Wuhan. “It was different conditions today with the roof closed and I think it took us a little while to get adjusted, but then I felt like it was a really high level there for the rest of the match.”

Before this matchup, World No.11 Alexandrova was leading the H2H tally 3-2 against Pegula. However, the latter has now settled the scores after emerging victorious in a 2-hour-6-minute battle. However, the journey is still far from finished for the American.

Jessica Pegula looks to maintain winning momentum to book her WTA Finals spot

After Thursday’s win, Jessica Pegula has earned her best campaign at the Wuhan Open. She has entered the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career. On last two occasions (2019 and 2024), she failed to go past R64 and R16.

Moving forward, Pegula will look to continue her dominating streak no matter what. Next up, she will face the winner of the Iva Jovic vs Katerina Siniakova match in the last eight. The 2025 US Open semifinalist is looking to clinch the title in Wuhan. In case she makes it happen, the victory may push her closer to securing a spot in the WTA Finals.

Among her compatriots like Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova, and Coco Gauff, Pegula is the only one who has yet to confirm her place among the top 8 participants of the year-end event in Riyadh, which will kick off next month. For the uninitiated, Pegula has made it to three-straight WTA Finals already in the last three seasons (2022, 2023, and 2024). She will hope to make it four-in-a-row this time.

Should she win in Wuhan, followed by another title in Ningbo next week, the former World No.3 will secure a ticket to Riyadh. Can she really do it though? Only time will tell.

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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