There were no surprises, although the beginning of the match was full of hope (our player led 3:0). Ana Bohdan lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in the round of 16 match of WTA Dubai against Jessica Pegula (the third favorite and one of the most prepared players in the women’s tournament).

Ana Bohdan was eliminated in the 1/8 finals of the WTA Dubai tournament by Jessica Pegula

Set I

Ana got off to a great start, moving well, hitting powerful and confident shots and taking advantage of the slight sluggishness with which Pegula came onto the court (she played in last week’s final in Doha and fatigue played a role).

Our player broke out to 3:0 (with only one break), and the game was promising.

However, the continuation would not be to Ania’s liking: Jessica “tied” four games in a row and from the start of the match erased the advantage of our athlete.

Moreover, Pegula went up 5-3 and all Ana could do was add another game to her table by the time the American closed out the set, 6-4, at the 46 minute mark.

It was the first set lost by Ana Bohdan at WTA Dubai in four matches (two in qualifying and two in the main draw).

Set II

Having certain problems with her left leg (she also received medical assistance), Ana gave up the initiative step by step. Jessica made a break, and the game followed the American’s tactical plan.

Pegula hit well, looked for and found free lanes in most cases, forced Ana to return from uncomfortable positions, and the Americans smiled at the score.

Jessica also managed the second break, moved to 4-1, and there was no more room for an impressive comeback, although Ana twice forced herself on her opponent’s serve (but from the beginning it did not work for her).

The match, which lasted an hour and 35 minutes, ended with a score of 6-4, 6-3 in favor of Jessica.

Know:

• After this victory, Jessica Pegula leads with a score of 3-0 in matches against Ana Bohdan.

• For the course at WTA Dubai, Ana Bohdan will receive a check for $31,650 and 105 points in the WTA singles ranking.

• In the WTA Live rating, Ana Bohdan recorded a jump of 19 positions after participating in Dubai (she is 56).

• Romania no longer has a singles representative in Dubai, with Iryna Begu defeated in the first round and Sorana Kirstia eliminated in the second round on Tuesday.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships runs from February 19 to 25 on hard, is part of the “WTA 1000” category and has a total prize pool of $2,788,468. Simona Halep won the tournament in 2015 and 2020, and the last edition went to Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.