Jessica Pegula is on to the fourth round of the U.S. Open for a third straight year. 

The No. 6-seeded American is yet to concede a set in the tournament after defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-3, 6-3 Saturday afternoon inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Matching her 2023 results and inching closer to her career-best quarterfinal finish from 2022, Pegula will play Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Monday. 

“This is the one I feel like is the most pressure, but at the same time, when I was younger, I always had better results at,” Pegula said when asked how she’s seen herself evolve in the tournament since her debut in 2015. “I qualified here twice, was able to get my first main draw win of a slam here, as well. I think there was a lot of positives, even with the pressure. It’s not like I exactly love the conditions here, either, I feel like I play just as well at the other slams. 

“But I think, for some reason, I’ve been able to kind of use that momentum of being an American at the U.S. Open and do pretty well.” 

In the first meeting between the two, the Battle of the Jessicas, if you will, Pegula rightfully looked like the veteran. 

Pegula won seven of the match’s nine rallies of nine or more shots, while also blasting three aces to Maneiro’s zero.

Committing just 17 unforced errors, Pegula played a much tighter match than Maneiro, who hit 29. 

After trading off the first four games of the first set, Pegula clawed back from down 40-15 before failing to convert on a break point to drop a 14-point fifth game.

A long rally ended with Pegula hitting one out of bounds after the two battled through four deuces. 

Maneiro, who couldn’t make it out of qualifiers at the Open last year, lost some control from there. It made for a relatively easy and quick final four games for Pegula. 

Despite jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, Pegula allowed Maneiro to even it up at three all to keep the match competitive. Maneiro was clearly grinding, which paved a way for Pegula to take control. 

The 30-year-old Pegula handily took the next three, powering through the final 12 straight points. 

One of just three American women on to Round 4, along with Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro, Pegula is the vet by a few years.

Gauff and Navarro are scheduled to square off on Sunday, which means Pegula could be one of the last two American women in the tournament. 

Having beaten Shnaider 6-4, 6-3 on her way to winning the Canadian Open in Toronto in mid-August, Pegula is prepared to see the 20-year-old Russian make some adjustments. 

“Toronto, I felt like I was playing really well during that whole week, so it’s tough to compare,” she said. “I mean, we’re in a different city, different conditions, different situation. I feel like she’s definitely going to know more of what to expect because that was our first time playing each other, and she’s been super match-tough this year. Had a lot of good wins. Having an amazing year and kind of has proven herself to be a top-20 player for sure. 

“I’m just going to try and use what I did well the last match and hopefully it works, but I think I’m going to have to be ready as well for her to kind of adapt and maybe change a few things from the last time we played.”