The American had two tricky opponents in Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina to commence her campaign at the Qatar Open.

But she passed those tests with flying colours and she is now looking forward to a last eight appearance in 2024 for the first time.

Jessica Pegula breaks WTA record at the Qatar Open

On Wednesday Jessica Pegula faced Kasatkina for the fourth time in her career.

Prior to their Qatar Open encounter, the Russian won their last meeting at the 2024 Charleston Open in three sets.

But Pegula needed just two sets to seal victory against Kasatkina in what was a rather even contest between the two players.

Following her 6-3, 7-5 victory, the World number five reached 15th quarterfinal at WTA 1000 level since 2020.

The 2024 US Open runner-up is the only player on the WTA Tour to have achieved this feat since the start of the decade.

Who will Jessica Pegula play next?

Pegula’s next opponent at the Qatar Open will be Ekaterina Alexandrova, who upset World number one Aryna Sabalenka on Tuesday.

The Russian set up a quarter-final encounter with Pegula by beating Elise Mertens for the loss of just six games.

This will be another tough test for Pegula as she prepares to face an opponent who is on a seven-match win streak and entered the Qatar Open after winning the Linz Open.

The pair have met just twice before, with and have one win each. Their last meeting took place at the 2024 Miami Open, when Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Pegula in three sets.