“I think I’m playing some of the best tennis I’ve played” – Pegula dispatches Fernandez to reach Miami last 16
Jessica Pegula (No. 5) defeated Leylah Fernandez (No. 26) 6-2, 6-2 in the third round of the 2026 Miami Open on Sunday. Pegula advances to the fourth round where she will face Jaqueline Cristian, who beat Ekaterina Alexandrova (No. 11).
Jessica Pegula, Miami 2026 | © Psnewz
American Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, beat Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the 26th seed, 6-2, 6-2 at the Miami Open on Sunday evening to reach the fourth round – and she did it playing what she described as some of the best tennis of her career.
Pegula’s execution leaves Fernandez with no answers
“I thought I played really good,” Pegula said. “I executed everything that I wanted to do out there and just stayed super focused. We all know Leylah competes so well and can turn matches very quickly. I didn’t really want to get into that with her today.”
Pegula, ranked No. 5, was in complete control from the first game. She had come through a walkover against Englishwoman Francesca Jones, who retired trailing 6-1, 3-0, and arrived against Fernandez with her game already ticking. The Canadian, ranked No. 25, had beaten Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva in three sets in the previous round and is never straightforward to put away. Pegula did not give her the chance.
The moment that settled any nerves came on serve in the second set, when Pegula held under pressure to prevent Fernandez from finding a foothold. “I’m really happy with how I served at the end,” she said.
better, not just fitter
Asked to assess her overall level, Pegula did not hedge. “I think I’m playing some of the best tennis I’ve played. Forehand, backhand, serve, moving really well. I just think I’ve become a much better player. And I think you have to be in order to compete at a high level with the depth in the women’s game.”
It is a telling distinction. Pegula has long been regarded as one of the tour’s most consistent performers, but the framing here is not about peaking, it is about having raised her ceiling permanently.
Why Miami suits Pegula’s game
Part of what makes Pegula so difficult to face here is how well she knows the place. She has practised in the area since she was 12 or 13 years old and has a precise understanding of what the courts demand. “I like the fast courts. The speed stays low and kind of skids a bit, and I think that feeds into my game style,” she said.
She also noticed a shift in conditions this year. “Indian Wells was much quicker this year. When I played on Stadium Two and some of the outside courts, I thought it was much faster and I was appreciative of that.” The old surface, she felt, had become too slow. “The balls were blowing up and everything got super slow. It definitely needed to speed up.”
Cristian stuns Alexandrova
Pegula now knows her fourth-round opponent. Romanian Jaqueline Cristian, the 34th seed and ranked No. 36, beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, the 11th seed, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (5) in a tight three-setter on the same evening. Cristian had beaten American Peyton Stearns 6-4, 7-5 in the previous round, while Alexandrova had come through against Austrian Lilli Tagger 6-3, 6-3.
It is a result that rewards Cristian’s composure and sets up a fourth-round match against a Pegula who, on this evidence, is playing the kind of tennis that makes her one of the favourites to go deep in Miami.
