Jessica Pegula explains why she’s ‘always motivated’ to beat Iva Jovic ahead of Wimbledon clash
Jessica Pegula set up a mouth-watering fourth round tie with Iva Jovic by defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets at Wimbledon.
Pegula is yet to drop a set in her first three matches at Wimbledon and she raced to a 6-1, 6-3 victory against the Spaniard ranked World No 62.
Jovic, meanwhile, continued her steady progress through the Grand Slam by defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets in her third round match.
The talented American teenager has also defeated Jaqueline Cristian and Tatjana Maria in straight sets at Wimbledon to continue her impressive run on the grass court swing.
Pegula and Jovic will both be each other’s toughest tests so far at Wimbledon as they look to secure their place in the last eight of the competition.
There is a 14-year age gap between Pegula and Jovic, but that is something that the former is tired of hearing about.
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Speaking at her Wimbledon press conference, Pegula said: “Stop talking about the age thing. Oh, my God. I’m always motivated to beat the other Americans in a way that’s different. Not, like, I don’t like them or anything like that.
“It’s more of just like I think we’re really proud of our country and playing for our country. There’s so many of us that there is always like this push-and-pull kind of battle in a fun way where you’re always pushing yourself against someone else from the same country.
“At the same time, it’s great to see how many young players we have, especially her. I think she’s solidified herself for sure as a top-20 player. I think she can definitely go higher than that.
“Seems like she’s just getting more and more confident, I feel like, as she plays more matches. She’s tough. Really good competitor. Does everything really well. I’m not surprised she’s pretty good on grass.”
Pegula watched part of Jovic’s clash with Alexandrova and has been impressed by the young American’s game on grass over the last month.
“She was in a tough match right before I came in here. It was going to be close. Yeah, I mean, we’ve had some close matches already on a couple different surfaces. Never played or practiced with her on grass, so that will be interesting.
“Excited again to challenge myself against someone who is much younger who is playing with nothing to lose and no fear. I know she’s going to come after me hard. I’ll use that as motivation and try to be ready for as much as I can.”
Pegula and Jovic have met twice this year so far, at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Charleston Open.
Pegula has won both of those matches, so she will be hoping to continue her excellent form and reach the quarter final of Wimbledon for just the second time in her career.
