Pegula cruises past Gracheva in Dubai - VIDEO

Gracheva, who had advanced through qualifying and claimed a first-round victory over Sramkova, put up a competitive fight in the opening set. However, she was unable to keep pace with the American in the second set, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

After 1 hour and 10 minutes of play, the Frenchwoman was eliminated from the tournament by the world No. 5.

Pegula, seeded No. 4, moves on to face either Iva Jovic or Diana Shnaider for a place in the quarterfinals.

The 31-year-old continues her strong start to the season, having reached back-to-back semifinals — first in Brisbane, where she lost to Marta Kostyuk, and then at the Australian Open, where she was defeated by Elena Rybakina.