“I think she [Pegula] is mentally rock solid, she’s got herself in a place where it’s intimidating how strong mentally she is,” said McEnroe.
“Her game, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to break down where some of the other players [do].”
He added: “The people that can stop her… Rybakina for example, has got the firepower. She’s hard to beat, she showed that when she beat Iga. So that would be a formidable challenge [for Pegula].
‘Weird being a favourite’ – Pegula reacts to being highest seeded player left in Aus Open
Pegula plays Victoria Azarenka in the last eight on Tuesday, with Rybakina taking on Ostapenko.
Bencic plays Aryna Sabalenka, who is a player McEnroe pointed out he does not trust as much compared to Pegula in the thick end of Grand Slams.
“Sabalenka, could she go all the way?” McEnroe continued. “You would worry a bit about her when we’ve seen the last couple of years with her serve.
“Azarenka, she’s won this, she’s a two-time Australian Open champion, so that would be just incredibly important for her, an unbelievable way to end a career into her 30s, after everything that’s gone on with her over the course of the last four or five years.
“So there’s people out there that could do it. But I think Jessica, if you look at the overall picture right now, is the one to beat.”
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