US Open Shocker: Paolini Upset as Pegula Advances to Round 4

Jasmine Paolini’s US Open 2025 campaign came to an end on Friday as she fell in the third round to Czech star and 2024 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. At Louis Armstrong Stadium, Vondrousova dictated the tempo and advanced to the last 16 with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 victory.

Seventh seed Paolini never fully found her rhythm. Vondrousova’s left-handed variety, built on sharp angles and consistent baseline exchanges, kept the Italian under constant pressure. Paolini fought hard in the opening set, saving two break points and forcing a tie-break, but the Czech was sharper on the crucial points.

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The contest lasted an hour and 26 minutes, with Vondrousova producing 22 winners to Paolini’s 20 while keeping her errors down. Paolini’s serve, a key strength in earlier rounds, faltered against Vondrousova’s returns, and she was broken two times across the two sets.

The second set quickly slipped away as Paolini surrendered her serve twice, allowing Vondrousova to close out the match with ease.

Despite the defeat, Paolini can take encouragement from her run. It marks her second-best showing in New York, having previously gone beyond the second round only once, in 2024.

For Vondrousova, the reward is a fourth-round clash against Elena Rybakina, who earlier eliminated 2021 champion Emma Raducanu in straight sets.

Pegula eases past Azarenka

Jessica Pegula kept her strong run at the US Open alive with a straight-sets win over former world No.1 Victoria Azarenka on Friday. The No.5 seed from the United States won 6-1, 7-5, booking her place in the fourth round without dropping a set so far in the tournament.

Pegula started quickly and took complete control of the first set. She broke Azarenka’s serve twice and kept the rallies short, forcing the Belarusian into mistakes. Azarenka also struggled with a left-leg problem that limited her movement and made it hard to keep up with Pegula’s sharp baseline game. The American used her steady serve and deep returns to close the opener in just over half an hour.

The second set was far more competitive. Azarenka found more rhythm and fought hard, even breaking serve to lead 5-4. The two-time Grand Slam champion raised her level and looked ready to push the match into a deciding set.

But Pegula stayed calm, broke back immediately, and then held serve under pressure. With the score at 6-5, she produced a strong return game to seal the victory.

Pegula is next scheduled to lock horns with the winner of the third round clash between Australia’s Priscilla Hon and Ann Li of the United States.