Pegula comes from behind to beat Cocciaretto & keep title defence alive in Charleston

[p]A resilient [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pegula-jessica/KdojxrAR/"]Pegula[/a], the world number five from the United States, eventually progressed just a day after labouring more than three hours to beat 72nd-ranked Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/cocciaretto-e-pA0aW3EL/pegula-j-KdojxrAR/summary/stats/?mid=j9vqbOXh"]The latest hard-fought win[/a], clocking in at just over two hours, was revenge for Pegula, who was stunned by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cocciaretto-elisabetta/pA0aW3EL/"]Cocciaretto[/a] at last year's Wimbledon in the round of 128.[/p][p]Cocciaretto, ranked 43rd in the world, enjoyed an explosive start by dominating the first set.[/p][p]Pegula's serve was notably wayward, with the American winning just 25 per cent of first serve points.[/p][p][b]"I don't know what I was doing out there... Oh my gosh, that's horrible," [/b]said Pegula after.[/p][embed guid="200fdcb1-aa75-496a-b50e-6b5858a68f9d" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hmULm-M2ck" social-type="youtube" /][p]Pegula rallied in the second set, but was immediately broken in a topsy-turvy final set, in which she trailed 1-4.[/p][p]The American hauled it back to 4-4, but then found the net on a break point that would have given her the lead.[/p][p]Two points from defeat at 4-5, Pegula fought back to 5-5 and they advanced into a deciding tiebreak.[/p][p]Pegula drew first blood, going up 1-0 off Cocciaretto's serve, then won every point on her own serve before Cocciaretto double-faulted to hand her the match.[/p][p][b]"It was a challenge. She was playing really well,"[/b] said Pegula.[/p][p][b]"She beat me the last time we played, so there was a bit of a mental thing too, but I was able to serve really well, I think, at the end. And then I just held my nerve."[/b][/p][p]Pegula, who won the title in Dubai in February, next faces Russia's Diana Shnaider - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/fernandez-l-a-8EI3pJOd/shnaider-d-028BdVOj/?mid=zeuoSHlI"]a 6-3, 6-0 winner[/a] over Canadian Leylah Fernandez.[/p][p]Swiss third seed Belinda Bencic also advanced, shrugging off a slow start to beat Czech Sara Bejlek [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/bejlek-s-jVCKq0LH/bencic-b-ObGlDvu0/?mid=IH5UpbcL"]7-6 (4), 6-2[/a] and line up a quarter-final clash with fifth-seeded American Madison Keys.[/p][p]Keys beat Hungarian Anna Bondar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/bondar-a-O8s9yjMD/keys-m-QwU996PK/?mid=Gnx7UnRF"]6-2, 7-5[/a].[/p]