Wimbledon: Marketa Vondrousova holds off Jessica Pegula to reach semifinals
Jul 11, 2023
London [UK], July 11 : Marketa Vondrousova came back from a breakdown in the third set to upset No.4 Jessica Pegula to reach the Wimbledon 2023 semifinals on Tuesday.
Vondrousova won the last five games to defeat No.4 seed Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a rousing match on Court No.1.
Only four of Vondrousova's main-draw victories on grass in her career went into the competition. She now has a few goals after less than a week.
At Wimbledon, serving and defending the serve are always crucial, and Tuesday's match was no exception. Vondrousova overcame Pegula's 2-0 lead to break her three times in the following four service games. The Czech was serving for the set when he blasted a 97 mph ace off the chalk and concluded with a powerful shot that Pegula was unable to block.
On Court No. 1, where it was windy, Vondrousova had greater success keeping the ball in play while Pegula frequently hit strokes that drifted just deep.
At 1-2 and serving, Vondrousova gave up the first break, which Pegula took. Vondrousova's lunging forehand was forced to fall long out by a powerful forehand. Pegula gained some much-needed momentum heading into the third set by earning a second break in the last game.
After avoiding two break points in the opening game's eight minutes, Pegula won unharmed. Serving at 1-all, she avoided Vondrousova's next break attempt by going to the net three times in a row and winning all three points.
Rain forced the game's delay after Pegula broke Vondrousova to take a 3-1 lead, adding to the suspense. After 25 minutes, Court No. 1's roof was shut, and the game started again.
With ease, Pegula maintained her serve for a 4-1 advantage, but Vondrousova soon began to close the deficit. The match was back on serve at 3-4 after she broke Pegula, the highlight of which was a spectacular backhand stab volley winner. In the ninth game, Vondrousova took the lead after another break.
