Pegula Bests Collins in All-American Clash in Miami

| by Zachary Wimer

The third-seeded Jessica Pegula booked her fourth-round spot at the 2023 Miami Open after beating fellow American Danielle Collins.

Both Americans lost relatively early compared to their expectations in Indian Wells and they surely wanted to start a winning streak at the 2023 Miami Open. However, the draw wasn't really nice to them as the third-seeded Pegula and 30th-seeded Collins met already in the third round.

Although it meant a difficult battle for both players, it also meant a good watch for tennis fans who came to the Hard Rock Stadium on a windy day. After one of the American hopes in the draw, Coco Gauff, lost in the previous match, fans in Miami were sure of their player winning in this clash.

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In the past, the two met twice and on both occasions, Pegula proved to be a better player. Every time, their match was played in the Northern America and the third-round meeting at the 2023 Miami Open was no exception.

In the first set, Pegula was a much better player. She opened with a break of her opponent's serve and after saving two break points in the fourth game, she won 15 of the following 16 rallies to dominate the first set, winning it 6-1 in only 27 minutes.

But Collins wouldn't go down without a fight. She saved two break points early in the second set and thanks to improved accuracy of her first serve and hitting 6 aces, the second set reached a tie-break, despite Pegula having multiple match points in the twelfth game.

Pegula didn't allow any more drama in the tie-break, as she started strong, earning two mini-breaks and a 5-0 lead. She only increased the lead as Collins found no answers to her questions, and Pegula won the tie-break comfortably 7-0 to win the match.

Up next, the highest-ranked American will play against the 20th-seeded Magda Linette, who will want to follow up on her sensational Australian Open run.

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