FILE PHOTO: Jan 11, 2023; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Jessica Pegula of the United States hits a forehand while practicing before the start of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - A career breakthrough year has all eyes on American Jessica Pegula, who could shake Polish world number one Iga Swiatek's stranglehold on the women's field when the Australian Open main draw begins next week.
The 28-year-old marched up the rankings in 2022 when she reached the quarter-finals at three majors and toppled four Grand Slam winners en route to picking up her first WTA 1000 title in October at Guadalajara.
Now number three in the world, Pegula said she's taking this season one step at a time.
"I don't think I really am putting pressure on myself to duplicate that year because I think it was very special and something that probably won't be duplicated," Pegula told reporters on Sunday.
"I feel like I have different goals this year. I feel like I kind of am resetting the year... It is a new year and you never know what's going to happen and you never know how you're going to feel."
While she may not be trying to duplicate her extraordinary 2022 it certainly looked like she could last week, when she cracked the code on Swiatek, steamrolling the thrice major winner 6-2 6-2 at the United Cup semi-final.
Pegula raced to a stunning 5-0 lead in the first set and kept the momentum up with a series of brilliant returns in the second, leaving the usually poised Swiatek without any answers.
"I loved the way she stepped up, beating the No. 1 player," said Patrick McEnroe, the brother of John McEnroe and a former doubles Grand Slam winner who is an analyst for ESPN.
He told reporters that he believes Pegula could possibly even win in Melbourne - if Australia's iconic blue hard courts are playing to her favour.
"The quickness of the court that she played Iga Swiatek on was a big factor," said McEnroe.
"Australian Open will be pretty quick, but it's usually not that quick... If the court is a little bit slower, that makes it a little bit harder for her to play that type of penetrating game that she can play so well."
While she ended 2022 on a rough note as she lost all three of her matches in a demoralizing WTA Finals debut, Pegula's record since Flushing Meadows stands at 10-5, a consistency that twice Grand Slam doubles champion Mary Joe Fernandez praised.
"I'm really impressed with her improvement, her determination," said Fernandez, who will serve as an ESPN analyst at the major. "She's definitely on e to look out for."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
