For the second time this week at Indian Wells, Jessica Pegula found herself trailing by a set before mounting a successful comeback against Anastasia Potapova. In a grueling Round-of-32 match on Court 2, the world No. 3 eventually triumphed with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 after more than two hours of play. This victory marks the second time the American has reached the last 16 in the California desert.
For the second time in as many matches this week in Indian Wells, Jessica Pegula found herself a set down but produced an impressive comeback to beat Anastasia Potapova in the Round-of-32 at Court 2. No.3 seed Pegula rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over Russian Potapova in a battle that lasted for 2 hours and 17 minutes. The American stood strong and delivered her top-level play to reach the last 16 in the California desert for the second time in her career.
Previously, the 29-year-old American had to recover from a set down to beat Camila Giorgi in her tournament opener. To move into the 2023 Indian Wells quarterfinals, Pegula must now defeat whoever emerges victorious from the match between Petra Kvitova and Jelena Ostapenko.
Expectations were high that the 27th-ranked Russian would provide a stern test, and she nearly succeeded, keeping the spectators in suspense during a tense final set. Potapova's performance in the opening set was nearly perfect, allowing her to take it 6-3 and put herself in a commanding position. While chances appeared for both players early in the match, it was the 21-year-old Russian who converted them most effectively.
Drawing on her experience and technical skill, Pegula managed to take the second set 6-4 to force a decider. Her serve became more reliable in this phase, simplifying her game and allowing her to seize key opportunities. Despite nearly squandering an early 3-0 lead, she managed a break to stay ahead at 4-2. Though the set eventually leveled at 4-4 after a dip in form, a late break finally pushed the match into a third set. The finale was a rollercoaster; Potapova took an early lead and seemed comfortable, but Pegula fought back to tie it at 3-3, eventually wearing down her opponent to win 7-5.
Reflecting on the match, Pegula noted that raising her overall level of play was the turning point. For the first hour, she struggled to keep up with Potapova, who was controlling the tempo and winning the long baseline exchanges.
Pegula commented that she began playing more strategically and adding more depth to her shots. She admitted to feeling frustrated early on because Potapova played so well, praising the Russian as a great player and describing the match as a hard-fought, respectable battle.