Pegula cruises into Rome third round with win over Sonmez; Masarova upsets Fernandez

On a rainy Friday in Rome, Jessica Pegula defeated Zeynep Sonmez 6-4, 6-0 in 72 minutes to advance to the third round. And while the scoreline may read lopsided, it reflected a clinical performance from the No. 5 seed, who faced just one break point all match.

Rome: Scores | Draws | Order of play

That lone chance for Sonmez came late in the opener as Pegula served for the set. But the American saved it and closed out a highly competitive first set in 44 minutes. Pegula didn’t let up in the second, dropping only two points on her first serve and continuing to dominate on return, winning 14 of 22 points on the Sonmez serve to complete the shutout.

Pegula now leads their head-to-head 1-0 at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level and takes the early bragging rights in the series.

Here were the key moments that tilted the match in Pegula’s favor.

Pegula’s eight straight points break open the first set: A scramble and winner gave Sonmez a 30-0 lead on serve at 1-1 as she looked to keep pace early. Then Pegula flipped the momentum, winning three straight points to earn a break point. She capitalized on the chance, drilling a backhand return winner off Sonmez’s second serve to break for 2-1.

A forehand winner in the next game extended the run to seven straight points, and she made it eight with a love hold to consolidate for 3-1.

Pegula saves break point, takes opening set: The only break point Pegula faced all match couldn’t have come at a more critical juncture. Sonmez had found her rhythm as the first set wore on and, after saving a set point, had a chance to get back on serve at 5-5. But Pegula stayed composed.

She erased the break point, before winning the next two points to close out the set in anticlimactic fashion.

Pegula strikes immediately in the second set: It took only one game in the second set to get a sense of where the match was headed. Pegula won the opening point on return, spun it forward into another break point, and again produced a timely winner -- this time a forehand down the line -- to break for 1-0.

That proved to be all she needed, though she added two more breaks for good measure. The second set lasted just 28 minutes, allowing Pegula to secure her spot in the Rome third round for the fourth time in her career. 

Masarova upsets Fernandez to set meeting with Pegula

Pegula will face Rebeka Masarova in the third round after the World No. 160 upset No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez in three sets on Friday night.

Masarova dropped the opening set but rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory in 2 hours and 23 minutes, punching her ticket to the third round after coming through qualifying. The win allows her to match her best result at a WTA 1000.

It wasn't always clean for Masarova, who had 10 double faults, but the positives outweighed the negatives when it was all said and done. After letting the first set slip away from up a break at 4-3, she returned the favor in the second, twice coming back from a break down and winning the last four games from 4-2 down to force a decider.

As fate would have it, Masarova was not to be denied. She broke for 3-2 in the third, then leaned on clutch serving down the stretch to close out one of the biggest wins of her career.

It sets up major opportunity for the Swiss player, who will face Pegula for the first time. Masarova owns one career Top 10 win, coming against Maria Sakkari at the 2023 US Open.