Pegula Outlasts Svitolina at US Open, to Face Fellow American Keys in Fourth Round

USA's Jessica Pegula waves after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during the US Open tennis tournament women's singles third round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2023. (AFP)
USA's Jessica Pegula waves after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during the US Open tennis tournament women's singles third round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2023. (AFP)
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Pegula Outlasts Svitolina at US Open, to Face Fellow American Keys in Fourth Round

USA's Jessica Pegula waves after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during the US Open tennis tournament women's singles third round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2023. (AFP)
USA's Jessica Pegula waves after defeating Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during the US Open tennis tournament women's singles third round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 2, 2023. (AFP)

Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys kept noticing their names near each other in tournament draws this summer.

“We were like, ‘I think the world just wants us to play,’” Pegula said.

At the US Open, they finally will.

Pegula beat Elina Svitolina 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on Saturday, setting up a fourth-round matchup against the No. 17-seeded Keys.

Pegula, the No. 3 seed, is still trying to advance beyond the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. First, she'll have to get by the 2017 runner-up in Flushing Meadows who also needed three sets to move on.

Keys came back to eliminate No. 14 Liudmila Samsonova 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Ons Jabeur, the No. 5 seed who lost in the finals last year, also reached the fourth round by outlasting No. 31 Marie Bouzkova 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a match that took 2 hours, 56 minutes. Jabeur will face No. 23 Zheng Qinwen of China, who edged Lucia Bronzetti 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Pegula and Keys could have met early in both Montreal and Cincinnati, but Keys had to withdraw with a hip injury in Canada — where Pegula won the title — and lost her opening match in Ohio. So they've still played only once, a victory for Pegula last year in San Diego, though do hit together sometimes.

“Every time I practice with her, she just has the ability to just hit aces and rip forehands and backhands, play a really big power game,” Pegula said. “It will be interesting to see how smart I can play and what I can do to combat that.”

Other winners on the women's side Saturday included No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who routed Clara Burel 6-1, 6-1, and No. 13 Daria Kasatkina, who topped Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4 and will face the Australian Open champion Monday. Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, the No. 9 seed, routed No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-1 and will face unseeded American Peyton Stearns.

Pegula found herself in a tough test with Svitolina, the No. 26 seed from Ukraine who reached the US Open semifinals in 2019. It was tied 2-2 in the third set before the 29-year-old from Florida broke serve to start a run of four straight games to win the match.

That put her in the fourth round of the US Open for the second time. Pegula had her best result at the tournament in 2022, falling to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. She's gone that far in each Grand Slam tournament but is still seeking to reach the final four.

“She’s been showing great results,” Svitolina said. “I think she’s ready to do an extra step forward.”



Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller Says he Will Leave Club at Season End

FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
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Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller Says he Will Leave Club at Season End

FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 23 October 2024, Spain, Barcelona: Bayern Munich's Thomas Mueller applauds the fans after the UEFA Champions League soccer match between FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Bayern Munich crowd favorite Thomas Mueller will leave the German record champions at the end of the season after 25 years at the club because he was not offered another contract, he said on Saturday.
In a message on social media, the 35-year-old attacking midfielder, who started as a youth player and won a record 12 league crowns with Bayern - the most by any Bundesliga player - said he would have liked to stay on.
"Even after all these years, regardless of the minutes I play, I still really enjoy being on the pitch with the lads and fighting for titles together for our team. I could have easily imagined taking on this role next year as well," Reuters quoted him as saying.
"However, the club consciously decided not to negotiate a new contract with me for next season. Even if this wasn't in line with my personal wishes, it's important that the club follows its convictions. I respect this step, which the board and supervisory board certainly didn't take lightly."
He did not make any reference to the next step of his club career.
Mueller, for years a guaranteed starter, had seen his playing time drop sharply in the last two seasons and now only plays a minor role under coach Vincent Kompany.
His future has been the subject of intense speculation for several months but until now, both the club and the player have stayed silent. While there is no indication that Mueller will retire from football any time soon, Bayern have hinted they would like him to get involved with the club following the end of his playing days.
A one-club player, a rarity in top football these days, Mueller also won two Champions League titles, two club World Cups and six German Cups with Bayern among other titles. He also helped Germany to the 2014 World Cup.
Mueller could add more titles this season to his bulging trophy cabinet, with Bayern leading the title race by a nine-point advantage. They also face Italy's Inter Milan in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.
The Champions League final will be held in Munich's Allianz Arena.
"Now our full focus is on our sporting goals for the season," Mueller said. "It would be a dream for me to bring the league trophy back home and reach the long-awaited final at home at the end of May."