Pegula reaches San Diego Open quarterfinals, qualifies for WTA Finals

World number six Pegula became the third player after Polish World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Tunisian World No. 2 Ons Jabeur to book a spot for the WTA Finals.

American Jessica Pegula defeated compatriot Coco Vandeweghe to reach the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open at Barnes Tennis Center on Thursday. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula defeated compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the San Diego Open on Wednesday.

World number six Pegula, who made it to the quarterfinals of three of the four Majors in 2022, became the third player after Polish World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Tunisian World No. 2 Ons Jabeur to book a spot for the WTA Finals.

The WTA Finals are set to be held between October 31 and November 6 in Fort Worth, Texas.

In their first-ever meeting earlier this year in Charleston, Vandeweghe had beaten Pegula in three sets.

"When she's on with her serve and her returns, it's really tough. My goal was just to try and attack and put pressure on her serve when I got the chance," Pegula told wtatennis.com after her win.

"On my serve, I thought I just had to serve smart and be ready for a big return. She's got so much easy power, so sometimes she can put a lot of pressure on you, so I was just trying to focus on those two things."

Pegula will next face either Madison Keys or eighth seed Daria Kasatkina.