Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend had to apologise for Jessica Pegula’s language as the No. 5 seed became “rattled” during her quarter-final clash with Elena Rybakina at the Miami Open. This is their third meeting this year, and Rybakina won the last two in straight sets at the Australian Open and Indian Wells.

Pegula raced through the opening set, and Rybakina was the one looking flustered early on. But the world No. 2 flipped the script in set two, and Pegula soon found herself serving to stay in it at 2-5. She came through a tight service game and then voiced her frustrations towards her coaches, Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein.

The American walked to the corner to grab her towel after holding to stay in the set, while the Marks tried to encourage her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Put it behind you, you’re playing better. You’re going to do this. You’re going to do it. Come on,” Knowles said.

But the fifth seed was clearly struggling with Rybakina’s strategy. “She does the same thing every f****** time,” Pegula said, gesturing to her head, and explaining that something was getting into her mind.

Merklein tried to offer some tactical advice. “On the return on the ad, don’t go to her backhand on the second. She ropes it line everytime. Go middle,” he said. But Pegula was still exasperated, gesturing as if she was hitting a return.

Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend told viewers: “Well, Pegula seriously rattled. Apologies for the language. But, I mean, very interesting for her to very explicitly say that Rybakina has completely got into her head in this set.”

Co-commentator Anne Keothavong added: “Well, I think what’s got into Pegula’s head is the pattern of play. Rybakina serving it out wide and then going into the space. She’s repeated that successfully, which is what Pegula is finding frustrating. Coach Mark Marklein saying, ‘Well, don’t return it to her backhand then. Go through the middle’.”

Pegula regrouped and tried to apply that strategy in the next game, but Rybakina successfully closed out the set and forced a decider. The Kazakh proved relentless, reeling off winners to take an early break lead in the third. Last year’s runner-up, Pegula, played a solid game to get on the board and then put some pressure on the Rybakina serve, getting to deuce in the next game. But the No. 3 seed came through to extend her lead to 3-1 in the final set.

The Kazakh had also exchanged some words with her own coach, Stefano Vukov, throughout the match, and that continued as Rybakina found herself in a tough spot again. After failing to convert more break points, the world No. 2 was dragged into a long service game. Rybakina then had to save a set point to go 4-2 up.

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