By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Photo credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport
Facing three match points in the second-set tie break, Jelena Ostapenko had her back against the wall today.
Ostapenko unleashed a ripping response deconstructing Jessica Pegula in a stirring comeback.
A defiant Ostapenko saved three match points sparking a 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-3 win over Pegula to battle into the Wuhan Open round of 16.
The 34th-ranked Ostapenko scored her 27th career Top 10 victory, including her third Top 10 win over the year. Ostapenko did it with ambitious shotmaking and dagger drives down the line that shredded the second-seeded Pegula.
The 2017 French Open champion fired 46 winners—31 more than Pegula—and converted five of seven break points after taping a medical timeout to have her right forearm taped up.
“It’s a great atmosphere. I have so many fans here,” Ostapenko said. “Jess is a great player. She has also lot of fans. It’s always tough matches against her. I honestly don’t know how I managed to win the second set.
“I hd a lot of pain in my arm. I took a pain killer and I was fighting for every single point. I told myself I’ll wait and see what happens. I’m so happy to be through.”
The 2025 Wuhan finalist Pegula held at 15 to force the second-set tie break. Pegula held two match points at 6-4 in the breaker, but Ostapenko denied both. Down 6-7, Ostapenko saved another match point, winning the final three points to force a final set.
Jolting the American with crackling returns down the line, Ostapenko broke for 2-1 then consolidated for a 3-1 third-set lead.
On her first match point, Ostapenko drilled a return down the line closing in two hours, 23 minutes.
The 2017 semifinalist Ostapenko will face either Chinese qualifier Shi Han or Canadian Leylah Fernandez for a quarterfinal spot.
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