Jessica Pegula is the 1st Australian Open player in the 2nd round

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jessica Pegula began her bid for a first Grand Slam singles title by overwhelming Jaqueline Cristian 6-0, 6-1 in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Pegula, third-seeded and a quarterfinalist in Melbourne, took just 59 minutes against the 161st-ranked Romanian, who was competing in her third Grand Slam.

“Today is just one of those days everything was working,” the American said.

Pegula will face either Aliaksandra Ssnovich or Brenda Fruhvirtova, a Czech qualifier.

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