Pegula remains unbeaten against Navarro with straight-sets Cincinnati victory

Jessica Pegula continued to hold the upper hand in her head-to-head with Emma Navarro on Monday night, defeating her fellow American 7-5, 6-2 in 1 hour and 41 minutes to reach the Cincinnati Round of 16.

Cincinnati: Scores | Order of play | Draws

Pegula has now won all four of her WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz meetings against Navarro, including three at WTA 1000 events. She owns 14 career match wins at the Cincinnati Open -- trailing only her totals in Miami (21) and Canada (20) among WTA 1000 tournaments.

"It was such a nice atmosphere when we walked out here, so thanks everyone for coming out to support both of us," Pegula said in her on-court interview. "It's always tough playing another American, but at least one of us get to go through. I'm happy with today's match. It was a long day with the rain, but I think everyone -- at least for the day session -- definitely stayed."

A strong Grandstand crowd did indeed stick around, perhaps helped in part by Serena and Venus Williams' doubles reunion scheduled immediately after Pegula and Navarro's all-American derby.  Whatever the reason, those who stayed were rewarded with a far more competitive contest than the scoreline suggests.

More to come...