Doha semifinalist Pegula relishes week to week challenge

What comes after a first major quarterfinal appearance? For Jessica Pegula, it was a return to WTA qualifying rounds.

Fresh off making the Australian Open final eight to break into the Top 50 for the first time, Pegula was required to earn her way into the main draw of her first tournament since producing a memorable Melbourne run. Pegula has more than proven the work she delivered Down Under is here to stay, as she now finds herself in the semifinals at the Qatar Total Open in Doha.

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Pegula's week nearly ended before it really began, when Anastasia Potapova led 5-3 in the third set and later held a match point at 6-5 in their second-round qualifying match. The American would dig in on both occasions to prevail, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), and believes that experience has propelled her to where she sits now.

"Honestly, I probably should have lost," she told press Thursday. "I think after that match I decided to just use that confidence of scraping out that match to play really aggressive, step in and just go for my shots.

"So I actually think that match really helped me to this point and why I'm playing pretty well right now."

Having lost to her good friend Jennifer Brady in three sets at the Happy Slam, Pegula has focused on the bigger picture of what she accomplished in Australia—a mindset that has also enabled her to perform to her capabilities at the 500-level event.

"I took a lot from that match. I definitely was, I guess, anxious coming here because you come off such a big quarterfinal, first quarterfinal, a lot of big wins, and then I'm in qualifying here and I have to win three matches," Pegula reflected.

"So it definitely was different, but that's what I love about it. It's so week to week and there is a different challenge every week. I definitely took a lot from losing to Jen, but at the same time tried to not look too much into it. It was a good match. She played really well. It was her day, not mine. I just tried to take away the positives and move forward."

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She certainly has. After finding her way past Potapova, Pegula hasn't conceded a set. She added a third victory in qualies over Misaki Doi, before storming past Wang Qiang, Jelena Ostapenko and now second seed Karolina Pliskova. The Buffalo, N.Y. native brushed aside the world No. 6, 6-3, 6-1, in just one hour after winning 16 of her 21 second-serve return points.