World number four Jessica Pegula and rising star Coco Gauff booked their places in the last 16 of the Wimbledon warm-up event in Eastbourne.
Pegula, the third seed, triumphed with a straight-sets win over rising Chinese star Zheng Qinwen, while Goff dispatched Bernarda Pera with confidence in a one-sided encounter.
Pegola showed her prowess on the court as she defeated Convin 6-3, 6-4. The American’s powerful shots and strategic gameplay proved too much for his opponent. Meanwhile, Gauff’s impressive performance led to a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Para. The youngster showed his maturity and skill, keeping his opponent from finding a break point throughout the match.
The prospect of a quarter-final showdown between Pegula and Goff adds more excitement to the tournament. Speaking about his upcoming match, Goff expressed his satisfaction with the win and acknowledged the challenges faced by left-handed players on grass courts. “Bernarda is not an easy player, especially a lefty on grass. It was really windy today, so I think we were just trying to get one more ball on the court,” he said. I am happy with today’s win.”
Both players face tough opponents in their second-round matches, with Pegula facing Colombian qualifier Camila Osorio and Goff facing lucky loser Jody Barrage of Great Britain. If they manage to pull off the victories, a highly-anticipated quarter-final showdown between the two Americans awaits.
In other matches of the day, Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia showcased her skills with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Madison Brengle. Tunisia’s fourth-seeded Ounce Jabeur also dominated her match with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Italian Jasmine Paulini.
Second seed Liudmila Samsonova produced a brilliant 18 aces to defeat Czech Republic’s Linda Noskova 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3 at the Bad Homburg Open. However, former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu suffered a setback as Spain’s Rebecca Massarova won 6-3, 6-2.
