Montreal champion Jessica Pegula has carried her winning momentum with her from Canada to Cincinnati. The American took on Martina Trevisan and emerged victorious, whilst playing under the sun on a hot day. However, the match had to be halted for a while in the face of a sudden medical emergency.
It is reported that the match was paused for 11 minutes as paramedics responded to a crisis in the stands. This incident occurred during the deciding set of the match.
It came at a crucial juncture during the game. Pegula was leading 2-0 in the third set when a spectator went down. The Umpire called for help, saying “We need to call an emergency,” and the players were asked to kindly wait.
Naomi Broady, one of the commentators, cited heat as the possible reason for the medical emergency. She added that with a tennis match going on, it is easy to forget how long one has been sitting under the sun.
As the players were waiting for the play to resume, the Umpire reminded Jessica Pegula that she could not speak to her team. The reason for this is that in the case of a halt of play, on-court coaching rules do not apply.
It turned out to be a closely contested match between Pegula and Trevisan. Both players went hard at each other, but in the end, Pegula triumphed over Trevisan.
Jessica Pegula vs. Martina Trevisan match summary
The third-seeded Jessica Pegula has been in phenomenal form this year. She defeated Trevisan 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3 in her first match since her epic title victory at the Canadian Open. This win over Martina was Pegula’s 27th victory on hard court surfaces this year.
Pegula picked up from where she had left off in Montreal. She had defeated her doubles partner Coco Gauff and world number one Iga Swiatek en route to the final last week.
Although the match was stretched to a deciding set, Pegula won it quite comfortably in the end. She did, however, have her hands full in the first set, as Pegula could not overcome Trevisan in the tiebreak.
Montreal champ ➡️ Winning in Cincy
Top American @JPegula fends off a test from Trevisan 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3.#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/joOgd8K5II
— Western & Southern Open (@CincyTennis) August 16, 2023
It did not dampen her spirits though, as Pegula went hard from the second set onwards. Pegula was able to convert eight out of thirteen break points in the match. Martina was only able to convert four out of seven break points. The match came down to the smallest of margins, as both players were pretty equally matched otherwise.
Pegula hopes her spectacular form continues this week. It is especially important since the US Open is due to start at the end of the month. Jessica will face Marie Bouzkova in the next round.