18 match points later, Jessica Pegula returns to Roland Garros third round

WATCH: Jessica Pegula defeats Anhelina Kalinina in the 2022 Roland Garros second round

For the second year in a row, Jessica Pegula is into the third round at Roland Garros. But getting there was no cakewalk, as the American needed 18 match points across two matches to advance.

“You're sitting there thinking, Gosh, is this seriously happening again?” Pegula told press in Paris.

In her opening match, the American was leading Wang Qiang 6-2, 5-1 and looked set to cruise through relatively unbothered. But the Chinese ended up saving nine match points before Pegula eventually closed it out at 6-2, 6-4.

Against Anhelina Kalinina on Thursday, Pegula had three match points in the second set when the Ukrainian came roaring back. It would be more than an hour before her next match points, with the world No. 11 finally converting on her eighth for a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win.

“[In] both matches you could feel all of a sudden like both girls were playing way better, like just ripping, going for their shots,” Pegula said. “They start hitting a couple lines, they start hitting a couple shots that all of a sudden come out of nowhere. You don't want to panic but you start thinking like, Okay, I need to still step up here.

“Of course I was kind of laughing to myself looking up at my coach like, I cannot believe this is starting to happen again… at the same time I don't think I was giving away any free points. I wasn't playing any really bad points. They were having to win the point against me and I knew that.”

Pegula will take on No. 24 Tamara Zidansek next, looking to reach the fourth round in Paris for the first time.