The defending champion secured victory with four breaks against Krueger’s two in the opening set.
This trend continued into the second set, with Krueger taking an early 2-0 lead, only for Pegula to respond with three more breaks to secure a chaotic yet decisive win.
Following a disappointing run in the Olympics, where she lost early in both the women’s singles and doubles events, Pegula’s triumph in this match signifies a successful step towards defending her first 1000-level title.
She will face the winner of the upcoming match between Victoria Azarenka and Peyton Stearns in the next round.
Earlier in the tournament, Krueger, ranked No. 82, defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto (6-3, 6-2) and Leylah Fernandez, the No. 15 seed (6-4, 6-2).
Toronto WTA 1000, other last-16 results (Aviva Centre, hard, USD 3,211,715, most recent results first):
- Katie Boulter vs. Aryna Sabalenka
- Coco Gauff vs. Diana Shnaider
- Elise Mertens vs. Liudmila Samsonova
- Victoria Azarenka vs. Peyton Stearns
- Amanda Anisimova beat Anna Kalinskaya (10): 6-2 ret.
- Taylor Townsend (LL) beat Jelena Ostapenko (4): 6-2, 6-1
- Emma Navarro (8) beat Marta Kostyuk (11): 7-5, 7-5
