Pegula enters Italian Open second round after Samsonova thriller
Jessica Pegula enjoyed a winning start to her Italian Open campaign on Tuesday, squeezing past world number 25 Liudmila Samsonova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round. A runner-up to Ons Jabeur in the Spanish capital on Saturday, Pegula withstood 38 winners from the big-hitting Samsonova to set up a last-32 showdown with in-form Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina. The 13th-seeded Pegula, who played with a heavily-strapped left thigh against Samsonova, made the quarter-finals in Rome last season and has improved her 2022 win-loss tally to 18-9.
