Top-ranked American tennis player Jessica Pegula said she knew it was going to be a “mental battle” after beating defending National Bank Open champion Camila Giorgi. In the Toronto last-16, Pegula edged out defending champion Giorgi 3-6 6-0 7-5.
The playing conditions were extremely difficult to handle as the wind was causing trouble for both players. “The conditions were so tough and I knew it was just going to be a mental battle today,” Pegula told WTA Insider after the match.
“It’s always a mental battle playing Giorgi, especially with the way she plays. She can be so h*t and cold, so it was just a matter of mentally toughing it out. I’m always happy to get through a match like that. Of course, when you’re playing it, you don’t really want to do that.
You don’t really want to stress yourself out that much, but at the end of the day, those are the matches you have to pull through.”
Pegula saved a match point to beat Giorgi
Pegula got off to a good start, claiming the first break in the second game for an early 2-0 lead.
But Giorgi responded in some style, having broken Pegula three times in the rest of the set to overturn the deficit and win the opener. After six of the last seven games of the first set, Pegula absolutely dominated the second set as she bageled Giorgi to force a third set.
In the third set, the first to claim a break was Giorgi, who broke Pegula in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. But Giorgi’s lead was short-lived as Pegula broke back immediately in the seventh game. In the 10th game, Pegula saved a match point to tie the set to five games apiece.
After saving a match point, Pegula broke Giorgi in the 11th game for a 6-5 lead. In the 12th game, Pegula served out for the match to complete a big comeback victory.
