On January 17th, the third round of the Australian Open women's singles competition took place. The 7th seed, Pegula, faced off against Serbian player Danilovic. In an upset, Pegula lost two consecutive sets with scores of 6(3)-7 and 1-6, failing to advance to the women's singles round of 16. The victorious Danilovic made her first appearance in the Australian Open round of 16 and her second time reaching the Grand Slam round of 16.
Player Profiles:
Pegula is currently ranked 6th in the world and is the 7th seed for this Australian Open. Her best performance in a Grand Slam was last year's US Open runner-up, and she has reached the quarterfinals three times in five appearances at the Australian Open.
Danilovic is currently ranked 55th in the world, with her best Grand Slam result being the round of 16 at last year's French Open. This is her second time participating in the Australian Open main draw, having reached the second round in her debut in 2021.
Head-to-Head Record:
The two players have only met once before, at the 2018 ITF Challenge in Orlando, where Pegula defeated Danilovic with scores of 6-1 and 6-3.
Match Recap:
In the first set, Pegula missed two break point opportunities in the second game and saved a break point in the eleventh game on her serve. Both players held their serves through the first 12 games, leading to a tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Pegula lost five points in a row after leading 3-2, and Danilovic won the first set tiebreak 7-3.
In the second set, Pegula missed four break point opportunities in the third game, followed by a break of her serve in the fourth game, falling behind 1-3. In the sixth game, Danilovic broke again, leading 5-1 and coming to her serve to win the match. She successfully held serve in the seventh game, winning the second set 6-1.
Next Round Opponent:
Danilovic, who has made her first appearance in the Australian Open round of 16 in her career, will face the 11th seed, Badosa, in the next round to compete for a spot in the quarterfinals.