Jessica Pegula, the reigning US Open champion, won the Adelaide International to cap off her impressive comeback from injury.
The American top seed took just 73 minutes to claim a 6-4 6-1 win over Greece’s Sakkari and move into the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event.
Pegula’s first game since she withdrew from the WTA Finals in November due to a knee problem.
Pegula reached her first major singles final at September’s US Open, where she fell to a straight-set defeat by Aryna Sabalenka.
She will enter the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday, as the seventh seed in the women’s singles.
“It’s always tough getting the first win of the year, you don’t know what to expect”, Pegula said.
“But it’s good heading into Melbourne next week. First, I want to do well in this area.
” It’s fun to problem-solve on court and have a good attitude to start the year. “
The 30-year-old will face compatriot Ashlyn Krueger, who beat Spain’s Paula Badosa, in the last eight on Thursday.
US Open semi-finalist Emma Navarro, the American second seed, booked a last-eight meeting with Russian Liudmila Samsonova with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova.
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