Pegula foils Ruse to reach US Open second round: An easy-looking win with a complicated process

I sat in the third row, close to the players' tunnel at Arthur Ashe Stadium, when Jessica Pegula missed her eighth break point of the first set. A sigh swept through the stands. Nobody could believe a world No. 3 could waste that many chances against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, a player outside the top 50. But looking closely, I understood immediately: the rhythm of the feet on hard courts does not lie, you just have to stand by the sideline long enough. Pegula was not trembling in her legs, she was trembling in her head. My old lesson still holds true: Calling Xhaka's name wrong three times taught me to read people before writing. To understand a match, you cannot just look at the score. The 6-3, 6-2 scoreline sounds one-sided, but the actual process was not as smooth as the score suggested. From the very first return game, Pegula had chances to break. She kept pushing Ruse deep, creating deep returns, but her finishing shots lacked precision. Ruse, despite being the underdog, saved seven break points before finally dropping serve in the ninth game. The tally of 26 winners against 14 for Ruse proves Pegula controlled the long rallies completely. She did not need to take reckless risks or go for flashy winners. The more telling detail was how she handled her mental crisis. After wasting eight break points, Pegula could have let frustration take over. She did not. She took a deep breath, adjusted her returning position, and began placing the ball into tighter angles instead of trying to finish the point on the third shot. This is the difference between a veteran like Pegula and a young player desperate to prove herself. Technique can be similar, but emotional management in a match comes only through experience. I have covered five World Cups, several Olympics, and watched many top players fall in the first round of a Grand Slam because they could not handle the pressure. Pegula did not fall. She waited, she stayed patient, and when the second set started, everything became clear. Context: This is the third time in the last four Grand Slams that Pegula has been seeded No. 3. She has reached the quarterfinals multiple times but never won a title. The "maiden major title" narrative is brought up by the American media every time she enters a major. Her family owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, so the New York media attention is even greater. That pressure does not come from money, because Pegula does not need prize money to live; it comes from public expectation. The US Open this year has a 15-day schedule instead of 14. That means Pegula has an extra rest day between rounds. After her opening match, she gets two days off before facing the winner of Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin. This schedule is a clear advantage for older players or those who need more recovery time. Pegula is 30, still in her prime, but every extra rest day is valuable. Core: Looking deeper into the tactical details, I noticed Pegula changed her return position in the sixth and eighth games of the second set. In the first set, she stood too deep when returning serve, giving Ruse time to push the ball to her feet. In the second set, Pegula moved up two steps from the baseline. This forced Ruse to play faster and more accurately if she wanted to win the point. Ruse could not do it. She kept making unforced errors when forced to go for winners from difficult positions. The data from the second set is striking: Pegula won 100% of points on her first serve. That means when she got her first serve in, Ruse had almost no chance to attack. This was not a Serena Williams-style kick serve; it was a smart, spinning serve placed into the corners to create a weak return. From there, Pegula controlled the point with her heavy forehand. It was that forehand, an unreturnable shot in the final game, that closed out the match, exactly as she usually does in big wins. The rhythm of the feet on the hard court does not lie. In the first set, Pegula moved a bit too slowly in side-to-side rallies. She had a habit of standing still after hitting, watching her opponent instead of recovering. In the second set, she changed that completely. After every shot, she immediately stepped diagonally back to the center. Short, quick steps kept her ready for the next shot. The difference between a winner and a loser often lies in these small details. I also noticed how Pegula handled herself between games. She did not look up into the stands, did not search for support from her parents. Instead, she looked down and muttered something to herself. It could have been a form of self-talk to stay calm. Asked afterward, she said: "I was so nervous today. I just wanted to get through the first match in the best way possible." That statement confirmed what I saw from the stands: emotion was her biggest enemy, not Ruse. Contrarian: Looking at the 6-2 second set from outside, many will conclude Ruse was simply outclassed. But in fact, Ruse did not play badly at all. She saved eight break points in the first set, a number that shows impressive composure under pressure. Ruse's problem was fitness. In the second set, constant movement drained her, and when her first serve percentage dropped enough, she had no weapon to surprise anyone. This is the limitation of players outside the top 50 when they have to play on the biggest court in the world. One point the media usually misses is Pegula's failed break-point conversions. If you look only at break points, you could say she played poorly. But if you look at how she created those chances, you see tactical dominance. Ruse did not have a strong enough serve to escape pressure, so she had to rely on safe shots. Once Pegula improved her accuracy in key moments, it was only a matter of time. The biggest misunderstanding casual fans have is to see this match as an easy opener for the No. 3 seed. In reality, early Grand Slam matches are giant traps. Even former world No. 1 Venus Williams and 2026 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin have lost in the first round. Pegula avoided that trap, but she must learn from wasting eight break points. If that habit reappears in the third or fourth round, she will likely pay a heavy price. Takeaway: The victory over Ruse shows Pegula is moving in the right direction, but it says little about her title ambitions. The two-day rest is an advantage, but the next opponent, whoever wins between Williams and Kenin, can create their own psychological pressure. I will watch Pegula's winner-to-unforced-error ratio in the second round. If that number keeps improving, she truly has a chance to go deep. If she starts nervous again, the "never won a Grand Slam" story will feel even heavier. Empty stadium, full hearts — that year I understood why I sit here. But today Arthur Ashe was not empty. The stands were full, the American fans were loud, and Pegula is their hope. The pressure will only grow as the tournament goes deeper. The question is not whether she has the technique, but whether she can keep her breath in the middle of the emotional storm. This match was a test, and she passed it in an imperfect but wise way. As I left the court, I looked back at Pegula's player fact sheet. The first line said: "No. 3 seed." The second line said: "Age: 30." The third line listed several Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances without a single step forward. I folded the paper and thought of my own words while following football teams in Chengdu: anything can change in one afternoon. But to change, you must first know how to get through the toughest afternoons. Pegula just did that. Now, the experts will focus on the Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin match, which will determine Pegula's next opponent. Whoever wins, Pegula remains the clear favorite by ranking. But sport does not calculate by ranking. I learned this after many years on the sideline: the heart never appears in the standings. And Pegula, by admitting her nervousness, showed her heart is still very human. Is that a weakness or a strength? We will get the answer in the second round.