By Shrivathsa Sridhar
MELBOURNE, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Jessica Pegula said reaching a Grand Slam quarter‑final should be considered a success regardless of whether she progresses any further at the tournament, after the American returned to the last eight of the Australian Open on Monday.
The 31-year-old beat defending champion Madison Keys 6-3 6-4 to reach the quarters for the fourth time at Melbourne Park as she continues her quest for a first Grand Slam crown.
Pegula had been eliminated at the quarter-final stage at six Grand Slams before her run to the 2024 U.S. Open final, which she lost to Aryna Sabalenka. She made the semis at Flushing Meadows again last year, losing to the Belarusian again.
While many view Pegula as an underachiever at Grand Slams due to her lack of semi-final and final runs, the player saw it differently.
“That was something I felt everyone else came up with,” Pegula told reporters when asked about her record. “If I’m making quarters of a Grand Slam, that’s pretty good.
“So I never really understood the negativity towards it, or I guess the headline of, ‘how does she get past the quarters?’ I mean, the fact that I’m putting myself in that many positions I feel is a feat in itself.
“Obviously U.S. Open, I did the finals, made the semis, and that felt normal. So to me it doesn’t really feel like that much different. Maybe even now I’m even more comfortable knowing that I’ve gotten further, it doesn’t feel as big of a deal to be in the quarters, even though that’s really good.
“I guess I don’t think about it that much.”
Pegula said she felt like a more complete player with a wider range of weapons at her disposal now as she approaches a meeting with compatriot and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova in the last eight.
“I feel I have so many more tools,” Pegula added.
“I think that my movement has gotten better. My serve is a lot better than it used to be, and that really helped me today. I think I’m overall a better player.
“It doesn’t always mean that you’re going to win the match, but I do feel playing against all these girls with the depth, I think I have a lot more tools to figure out a way to win.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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