Jessica Pegula doesn't mind playing from behind in matches, as her greatest skill is that she never gives up. Her stoicism has earned her many wins. But when she gets ahead, as she did against Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Citi Open, she is even more difficult to defeat.
Kalinskaya was somewhat hampered by an injury for which she sought medical treatment during the match. The truth is that even while she might have been dinged up, she was being outplayed. Her movement wasn't the issue, but Pegula's groundstrokes were.
The American doesn't have any truly elite weapons. She doesn't possess Aryna Sabalenka's serve, for instance. While that might have kept Pegula from ever reaching No. 1, the reason she has been a long-term staple in the top 10 on the WTA Tour is that she also doesn't have any massive weaknesses. She does everything well, and Kalinskaya was being reminded of that.
Jessica Pegula defeats Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Citi Open
In the opening set, the American, and top seed at the event, got a break in the fourth game and held to make it 401. Kalinskaya didn't seem capable of a comeback, at least not to be in a position to take the first set.
Pegula didn't face a break point, even though she landed just 57 percent of her serves. She took advantage of one of her two opportunities to break, and that was the difference in the 6-3 opener.
In the second set, Kalinskaya did seem a bit more reluctant to chase down 50/50 balls, but whether that was conserving energy or because she was injured was not extremely clear. She knew that to win the match, she was going to have to go three sets. While the day was overly hot in Washington, DC, the temperatures were still nearly 80, so heat could have taken a toll.
The American tried to help the Russian stay in the match, too. Pegula had four double faults in set two, and won only 36 percent of her first serves. Still, she somehow never faced a break point, while Kalinskaya kept fighting the majority of hers off. She couldn't in the third game, and the second set was seemingly following the path of the first.
Attempting to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, Pegula found herself down 0-40, the first break points she had faced all match. She was able to get to deuce, but lost the next two points, and nearly miraculously, Kalinskaya was back in the set at 5-5, and the match overall.
Unfortunately for Anna Kalinskaya, who has suffered from double faults in previous matches but not against Pegula yet, she had two double faults at 5-all, and that helped the American get the break. At 6-5, Pegula wouldn't let Kalinskaya get her second straight break, and the American took the set 7-5.
Jessica Pegula will next play the winner of the Diana Shnaider and Liudmila Samsonova match in the semifinals. The winner could potentially face Naomi Osaka or Alex Eala in the final of the Citi Open.
