Jessica Pegula is first player to Australian Open's 2nd round

Jessica Pegula of the U.S. plays a backhand return to Jaqueline Cristian of Romania during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

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.

The third-seeded Pegula, a quarterfinalist in Melbourne in each of the past two years, needed just 59 minutes to beat the 161st-ranked Romanian player, who was appearing in her third Grand Slam event.

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