Jessica Pegula said a night out at an escape room helped solve the riddle of her poor form as she plotted a path to the quarter-finals of the US Open on Sunday.
The American fourth seed — a beaten finalist at the US Open last year — advanced to the last eight after breezing past compatriot Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Pegula arrived in New York on the back of a dispiriting sequence of results that left her anticipating a short stay at Flushing Meadows following early round exits at WTA events in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati.
The 31-year-old’s confidence took another dip days before the tournament, when her form was so dismal she cut short a practice session with world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
But a night out with friends at an escape room — and a “few dri