Article by David Istrate – Published on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, 09:21 / Updated on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 09:26
Jaqueline Cristian (27 years, 36 WTA) was eliminated in the round of 16 of the Miami Open, after a defeat in two sets, score 4-6, 1-6, in front of Jessica Pegula (32 years, 5 WTA). At the end of the match, the American praised the Romanian's service and forehand.
After the defeat of Sorana Cîrstea (35 years, 25 WTA) against Coco Gauff (22 years, 4 WTA)Jaqueline Cristian entered the courts in Miami, the other player from Romania qualified in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Jaqueline Cristian, loss in two sets against Jessica Pegula
Jaqueline's opponent was Jessica Pegula, one of the fittest and most experienced players on the WTA circuit and the Dubai champion. However, the 27-year-old held on well in the first set, even though she lost her serve in the opening game.
Cristian then managed to score points on his own serve and kept close to the athlete from the United States, who, however, did not feel the pressure at all. The world number 36 did not have any break points and after 41 minutes, Pegula closed the first set: 6-4.
In the second sequence, the world number 5 dominated the game, lost only one game and prevailed 6-4, 6-1qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Miami Open. In the next stage, Pegula will meet Elena Rybakina (26 years old, 2 WTA), who passed 6-2, 6-2 the “revelation” Talia Gibson (21 years old, 68 WTA).
Pegula praised Cristian: “I understand why he can cause problems”
At the end of the game, Jessica Pegula praised Jaqueline Cristian.
“She serves very well, has a difficult forehand to handle. Sometimes I wanted to send to that side, but not very often because I felt it was getting dangerous. He has strong tennis and I can see why he can cause a lot of problems when he plays well“, said the 32-year-old tennis player, quoted by digisport.ro.
Pegula also spoke about her title chances:
“I have a difficult part of the draw. I might meet Rybakina again, then Sabalenka. It's definitely difficult, but I'm not afraid of any challenge. I've always played good quality tennis in Miami, I've had good results. I've already had a good performance through this quarter-final. I can't wait to have a rest day, then I'll treat the next match accordingly.”
For Jaqueline Cristian, the performance at the Miami Open represented the first qualification of her career in the round of 16 of a WTA 1000 tournament. She earned $105,720 and 120 points in the WTA ranking.
