Jessica Pegula eases past Barbora Krejcikova to seal Australian Open quarter-final spot

American ace Jessica Pegula has booked her third successive Australian Open quarter-final appearance after sweeping aside Barbora Krejcikova in another straight sets victory.

The highest-ranked player left in the draw following Sunday’s shock elimination of top seed Iga Swiatek, world No.3 Pegula is yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park.

Pegula, whose family owns NFL team the Buffalo Bills and also NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, is the last American left in the draw with Coco Gauff also making a surprise exit.

Jessica Pegula is the last American woman standing in the singles at the Australian Open

Pegula overcame Barbora Krejcikova with relative ease to book herself a quarterfinal spot

Pegula overcame 2021 French Open singles champion Krejcikova, who won three women’s doubles grand slam titles in 2022, 7-5, 6-2.

Ousted by champion Ash Barty in the final eight last year, Pegula is looking to make her first Grand Slam semi-final and entered the tournament in sizzling form after winning four of her five matches for the US in the United Cup including a 6-2, 6-2 thumping of Swiatek.

While she raced through the second set the 28-year-old endured some frustration late in the first, needing five break points to go ahead 6-5 before serving out the set.

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She only converted five of 18 break points for the match against the 20th-seeded Krejcikova, who has been ranked as high as world No.2.

Pegula is seeded No 3, but the No 1 and No 2 players are already out of the tournament

Pegula is the daughter of the Bills owners and all eyes will be on Buffalo on Sunday afternoon

‘That one return game that I was able to grind out even though it was really long, I’m proud of how I fought at game,’ Pegula said.

‘I had a lot of break point chances in the first set and I didn’t really convert many of them but then after I scraped that first set out I was able to return really well.

‘I definitely think I returned really well once I started getting more of a feel for her serve.’

She will face either two-time former Open champion Victoria Azarenka or Chinese sensation Zhu Lin in the quarters.

Pegula is also into the third round of the women’s doubles with Gauff.