Jessica Pegula couldn’t have asked for a better start to her 2026 Australian Open, cruising past Anastasia Zakharova 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes to reach the second round in Melbourne.
Australian Open: Scores | Draws | Order of play
After Monday’s opening match at John Cain Arena ended with the retirement of Canadian star Felix Auger-Aliassime, Pegula came to the rescue by treating the fans to a clinical performance in which she dropped just 11 points on serve for the match, including only two in the first set.
“That was a pretty ideal situation that just happened,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “So that’s always good, you know. When those come around, you just take it, because I’ve seen a lot of really tough matches the last few days and I’m happy I’m not quite there yet.
“So yeah, when you get a good win and you play well, you just got to be happy about it, take it and move on.”
The numbers backed up Pegula’s assessment:
- First-serve percentage: 62%
- First-serve points won: 78%
- Second-serve points won: 64%
- Winners: 20
- Unforced errors: 14
- Break points won: 6/15
Pegula broke immediately to begin her Grand Slam season, setting the tone for a match in which she held break points in all eight of Zakharova’s service games.
Zakharova, ranked No. 105 in the PIF WTA Rankings, managed to fend off Pegula in two service games in the first set. Down 5-1, she saved three set points in a five-deuce game — including one highlight rally in which Pegula hung a ball around the post to keep the point alive before Zakharova calmly finished with a winner into the open court.
But Pegula closed out the set in the next game and never looked back, dropping just one game the rest of the way before sealing the win with a backhand rope down the line.
The victory sends her into the Round of 64, where she’ll face compatriot and doubles partner McCartney Kessler. Pegula leads their head-to-head 1-0 after beating Kessler in straight sets in last year’s Austin final.
