Pegula to face Fernandez in Miami after contrasting second-round wins

Jessica Pegula will face Leylah Fernandez in a third-round meeting of former Grand Slam finalists at the Miami Open after both came through contrasting wins on Saturday.

Miami: Scores | Draws | Order of play

No. 5 seed Pegula, last year's runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka, advanced after Francesca Jones was forced to retire due to illness trailing 6-1, 3-0. No. 26 seed Fernandez had to battle hard to quell Oksana Selekhmeteva 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-1 in 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Pegula's backhand hot shot foils Jones

After Pegula breezed through a one-sided first set, Jones -- who had revealed that she had been ill during her first-round win over Venus Williams -- took a medical time-out and was attended by a doctor. The World No. 93 was briefly rejuvenated on return: she played her finest point of the match in the first game of the second set, a superbly-constructed rally that set up a skimming, angled backhand slice for an apparent winning shot.

Not so. Pegula managed to track it down and flick a backhand that sailed past Jones and landed perfectly in the corner of the Briton's court. Jones shook her head in disbelief -- even raising her level hadn't been enough to get past Pegula.

Fernandez comes up clutch for much-needed win

Former US Open finalist Fernandez came into Miami looking for some form. Before this week, her 2026 record was a sparse 2-7, and she has not won back-to-back matches since reaching the Hong Kong semifinals last October. Selekhmeteva was a potential banana skin: the 23-year-old cracked the Top 100 last October and has pushed on this year, reaching the third round of the Australian Open (via an upset of Paula Badosa) and the Austin quarterfinals to rise to a career high of No. 71 this week.

Selekhmeteva did indeed push Fernandez hard, with her unusual double-handed backhand slice and lethal left-handed forehand proving particularly useful. But Fernandez delivered flash of her own -- a brilliant diving volley enabled her to take control of the first-set tiebreak -- as well as superior clutch play.

That first-set tiebreak had been an impressive recovery for Fernandez after she missed her first set point at 5-4. In the decider, she saved all five break points she faced -- including four in a marathon six-deuce tussle to hold for 3-0 -- and converted both of her opportunities on the Selekhmeteva serve.

Another barnburner coming up?

Next up is the fourth edition of Pegula's rivalry with Fernandez, and the second to take place in Miami following their second-round meeting in 2024. That was their first encounter, won by Pegula 7-5, 6-4, and the only one to end in straight sets.

Since then, the pair have pushed each other all the way. Pegula needed 3 hours and 4 minutes to triumph 7-5, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) in the 2024 Cincinnati quarterfinals, converting her fifth match point after losing a 4-0 second-set lead. Fernandez got her first win in the series last year in the Washington semifinals, emerging a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 victor and going on to claim her first WTA 500 title.

This time round, Pegula has the firm edge in terms of form. She has reached at least the quarterfinals of her past eight tournaments and has compiled a 17-3 record in 2026 to date, including her 10th career title in Dubai a month ago.

"Leylah and I always seem to have really intense matches," she said. "We all know that when she gets hot and she's playing confidently it can be really tricky, especially against a lefty. I know she probably likes the fast courts as well with her serve."