Going into her Wednesday afternoon Indian Wells Round of 16 match, Jessica Pegula was 0-4 in her career against Belinda Bencic.
Trying to get over the hump and beat a player for the first time is difficult physically and mentally especially in the constantly changing conditions at Tennis Paradise.
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Pegula, the last American woman in the women’s singles draw, played outstanding tennis in the first set to close it out 6-3.
First set
— wta (@WTA) March 11, 2026Pegula@JPegula wins the opener 6-3!#TennisParadisepic.twitter.com/J9DbnFLcmG
She fell behind 0-2 in the second set but won four straight games. Then things got really interesting as Pegula served for the match at 5-4 and was broken.
Bencic storms back, forces second set tiebreaker
Sensing Pegula was tight, Bencic started swinging more freely and forced a tiebreaker. The Swiss player has enjoyed a great comeback to the WTA Tour since having a child in April 2024.
Little separated the two in the tiebreaker, a net court that bounced Bencic’s way, a beautiful drop shot by Pegula, and some unforced errors.
GAME SET MATCH PEGULA
— slice and dice (@slice_szn) March 11, 2026
Jess finally gets her first victory over Belinda in 5 attempts. Jess played so well today to get over the finish line. Jess will face either Rybakina or Kartal in the QFs. She also has won her last 8 matches so she’s in great form! pic.twitter.com/UIpnuqbKXD
Pegula prevailed, and Lindsay Davenport of the Tennis Channel credited her for staying tough mentally to get her first win over Bencic.
Pegula vs. Bencic through the years
The four matches spanned all surfaces fro 2015 to 2023. Pegula did not win a set in any of them. Those matches were at the 2021 US Open and at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Round of 64. (Bencic won the gold medal.)
Most recent was a semifinal on clay at the 2023 Charleston Open. Pegula would eventually prevail in Charleston, winning in 2025.
She has refined her game, improving her serve and fitness. Pegula has also been a better player after changing coaches from David Witt in February 2024 to a team approach featuring Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein. Pegula is the Dubai champion.
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Jessica Pegula awaits the winner of the Sonay Kartal and Elena Rybakina match to be played later on Wednesday.
Jessica Pegula practices during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, Calif., on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
All men’s and women’s singles quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, airing live and replayed on the Tennis Channel.
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