Didn't see that coming - Jessica Pegula suffers major setback in race for top-two after surprise Madrid Open exit

America’s Jessica Pegula suffered a major setback as she lost in the round of 32 of the Madrid Open. The 31-year-old, who came into the competition on the back of some impressive performances in the recent past where she lifted the Charleston Open and finished as the runner-up at the Miami Open, came second-best in the match against Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima, that too in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2.

Pegula came into the contest as the strong favourite, but nothing went right for her. She ended up producing just one ace in the match, where her opponent produced four. On the first serve, the 2024 US Open runner-up won 56 percent of the points, considerably lower than her opponent, who won 62 percent of the points on her first serve.

On the second serve, Pegula was way behind her opponent as she won just 35 percent points. In comparison, her opponent won 61 percent points on her second serve. Overall, Pegula ended up winning just two break points out of seven, three fewer than Uchijima.

The result is likely to have a severe blow for Pegula in terms of WTA rankings, where she is currently placed in third position and was hoping to close the gap on the second-placed Poland’s Iga Swiatek. Before the tournament started, she was just 300 points behind the five-time Grand Slam winner who is still alive in the competition and is defending her crown. The defeat also means that Pegula's number-three spot in the WTA rankings is also in danger, as her closest rival, America's Coco Gauff, is still alive in the contest. Before the tournament started, the one-time Grand Slam winner was just 200 rating points behind Pegula. Gauff, just yesterday, defeated fellow American Ann Li in the round of 32 in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-3.