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Daria Saville's stunning tennis feat in unbelievable Washington upset

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·4-min read
Aussie Daria Saville (pictured far left) shakes hands with Jessica Pegula and (pictured right) Pegula frustrated after losing a point.
Aussie Daria Saville (pictured far left) defeated defending champion and No.1 seed Jessica Pegula (pictured right) at the Citi Open. (Images: WTA/Getty Images)

Aussie Daria Saville has produced one of her best performances of 2022 to defeat No.1 seed Jessica Pegula in Washington to reach the quarter-final of the Citi Open.

The dynamo Aussie has been climbing the world rankings in 2022 after a solid season, but hasn't played a match since Wimbledon.

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However, the 28-year-old left the tennis world in shock after knocking out the defending champion Pegula 7-5, 6-4 at the Citi Open.

The World No.88 played the match in sweltering heat, which saw her convert 50 per cent of her break points.

Pegula, World No.7, suffered during the match only landing 44 per cent of her first serves.

"And a the top seed is gone. What a stunning performance from Daria Saville," the commentator said.

Saville has enjoyed a brilliant 2022 having entered the Top 100 for the first time since 2019.

The Aussie's victory marked the second time in five months she has defeated a World Top 10 opponent.

She is now 3-3 against Top 20 opposition in 2022.

Fans were quick to react to the huge upset that gives Saville a great chance to reach a maiden 2022 semi-final at a WTA 500 event.

Daria Saville's epic rise in 2022

The 28-year-old, who was ranked as low as World No.627 at the start of February, has risen more than 500 places in the first half of the year following tremendous performances in Indian Wells and Miami.

Saville was out for nearly a year after achilles tendon surgery in 2021.

The Aussie reached the quarter-final at the Miami Open and backed it up with a Round of 16 performance at Indian Wells.

Her victory over Pegula results in her third quarter-final showing of 2022.

Daria Saville (pictured) celebrates with a fist-pump after defeating Jessica Pegula at the Citi Open.
Daria Saville (pictured) celebrates after defeating Jessica Pegula at the Citi Open. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) (Rob Carr via Getty Images)

The Australian will face Rebecca Marino in the last eight after the 31-year-old Canadian defeated Germany's Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

"I was really excited to play against a top-10 player again," Saville said.

"It was a great challenge. To get away with a win is even better.

"I feel like I'm playing really good tennis right now. I'm excited for more."

Elsewhere on day five, former world No.1 and third seed Simona Halep retired in the second set of her match against Russia's Anna Kalinskaya because of illness when trailing 5-7, 0-2.

Kalinskaya will face either sixth seed Kaia Kanepi of Estonia or China's Zhu Lin, who meet later on Wednesday, in the last eight.

with AAP

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