![]() Pegula at the 2019 French Open | |
Country (sports) | ![]() |
---|---|
Born | Buffalo, New York, U.S. | February 24, 1994
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
Turned pro | 2009 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Coach | David Witt (2019– ) |
Prize money | US $4,914,765 |
Singles | |
Career record | 317–205 (60.7%) |
Career titles | 1 |
Highest ranking | No. 8 (June 6, 2022) |
Current ranking | No. 9 (June 20, 2022) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2021, 2022) |
French Open | QF (2022) |
Wimbledon | 3R (2022) |
US Open | 3R (2020, 2021) |
Other tournaments | |
Olympic Games | 1R (2021) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 170–112 (60.3%) |
Career titles | 2 |
Highest ranking | No. 13 (June 6, 2022) |
Current ranking | No. 13 (June 6, 2022) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | 2R (2020, 2022) |
French Open | F (2022) |
Wimbledon | 3R (2021) |
US Open | 3R (2011) |
Other doubles tournaments | |
Olympic Games | QF (2021) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2022) |
French Open | 1R (2022) |
Wimbledon | 1R (2021) |
US Open | SF (2021) |
Last updated on: June 6, 2022. |
Jessica Pegula (born February 24, 1994) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 8 achieved on 6 June 2022 and a career-high WTA doubles ranking of No. 13 achieved on 6 June 2022. She has won one WTA singles title and two WTA doubles titles, one WTA Challenger doubles title, and seven ITF doubles titles. She is a three-time Grand Slam singles quarterfinalist, having reached this stage twice at the 2021 and 2022 Australian Open and once at the 2022 French Open. She is also a Grand Slam finalist in doubles, achieving this feat at the 2022 French Open with teammate Coco Gauff.
Personal life
Pegula is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, who are the owners of the Buffalo Bills, an NFL team, and the Buffalo Sabres, an NHL team. She is half-Korean, as her mom was born in Seoul before being adopted at age 5. She has four siblings: Kelly, Matthew, Michael, and Laura (the latter two from her father's first marriage).
In 2021, Pegula married Taylor Gahagen,[1] a corporate executive for Pegula Sports and Entertainment and animal philanthropist.[2]
In August 2016, it was announced that Pegula and her sister would be opening a quick serve restaurant called Healthy Scratch in LECOM Harborcenter, an ice hockey themed mixed-use development owned by her parents in Buffalo, New York.[3] The Healthy Scratch business was to be expanded to food truck service in 2017.[4] In 2017, Pegula introduced her own skincare line called Ready 24.[5]
Career
2011–2012: Grand Slam doubles and WTA Tour debut
On August 30, 2011, Pegula was granted a wildcard into the main draw of the US Open doubles tournament where she was paired with Taylor Townsend. They eventually lost in the third round to the third-seeded team of Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova.
In March 2012, Pegula was handed a wildcard to the qualifying draw in Indian Wells, and surprised higher ranked players Bojana Jovanovski and Paula Ormaechea to qualify for the main draw where she lost to Magdaléna Rybáriková in three sets.
2015: Grand Slam singles debut and first win
Pegula made her Grand Slam singles debut at the 2015 US Open as a qualifier. She defeated Shuko Aoyama, Margarita Gasparyan and Melanie Oudin to reach the main draw where she beat Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round. In the second, Pegula was defeated by Dominika Cibulkova, in three sets.
2018: First WTA final and top 125 year-end ranking
In 2018, Pegula reached her first WTA singles final at the Tournoi de Québec in September as a qualifier. She beat Kristýna Plíšková, Ons Jabeur, second seed Petra Martić and fifth seed Sofia Kenin en route to the final,[6] where she lost to eighth seed Pauline Parmentier in straight sets. This brought her ranking back inside the top 200 and helped her finish the year inside the top 125.
2019: First WTA title and top 100 year-end ranking
Pegula began the year primarily playing on the ITF Circuit, before cracking inside the top 100 in February for the first time in her career. This allowed her to enter several larger WTA Tour events, including in Indian Wells and Miami. Her best result during the early clay court season came in Charleston, where she upset world No. 12, Anastasija Sevastova,[7] en-route to the third round. This helped her break inside the top 75 for the first time. She also competed in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament other than the US Open for the first time. She was defeated in the first round of the French Open by eventual champion Ashleigh Barty before falling in the same stage at Wimbledon to Mihaela Buzărnescu.
Pegula achieved the best result of her career at the start of the North American hardcourt season when she won her first WTA career singles title at the Washington Open, defeating Camila Giorgi in the final.[8] This took her to a new career-high ranking of world no. 55. Despite failing to win another main draw match the rest of the season, Pegula finished the year ranked inside the top 100 for the first time, at No. 76.
2020: Auckland Open finalist, third round at the US Open
Jessica started her 2020 tennis season at the Auckland Open where she defeated CiCi Bellis in the first round. She followed this up with two more straight set victories over Tamara Zidanšek and Alizé Cornet to reach the semifinals. There she beat Caroline Wozniacki in three sets to advance to her third career WTA singles final. Facing off against 23-time Grand Slam singles winner Serena Williams for the first time, Pegula lost in straight sets.[9] She then competed at the Australian Open for the first time, where she was defeated by another American, Taylor Townsend, in straight sets in the first round.
Pegula's next big triumph came at the Western & Southern Open, a Premier 5 tournament. Having already beaten two Russians to qualify for the main draw, she opened her campaign with a straight sets win over American Jennifer Brady followed by a win over another countrywoman, 2019 French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova. She then caused a huge upset by defeating fifth seed and world No. 11, Aryna Sabalenka,[10] in the third round, thus advancing to her first quarterfinal at any WTA Premier level event. Her run came to an end with a straight-sets loss to 14th seed Elise Mertens.[11] This took her ranking back inside the top 65.
At the US Open, Pegula recovered from a set down to record her first Grand Slam main-draw win since the 2015 US Open, defeating Marie Bouzková in a third-set tiebreak. She then beat Kirsten Flipkens to advance to the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time, where she lost to sixth seed and former world No. 2, Petra Kvitová.[12]
2021: First Major quarterfinal, top 20 and Olympics debut
![](https://web.archive.org/web/20220713163743im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/2021-06_Jessica_Pegula_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-2021-06_Jessica_Pegula_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Pegula attained major success at the Australian Open, defeating former Australian Open champion and 12th seed Victoria Azarenka, Kristina Mladenovic, former US Open champion Samantha Stosur and fifth seed Elina Svitolina to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal[13] where she lost to eventual runner-up Jennifer Brady despite winning the first set. This strong showing at the Australian Open in February allowed Pegula to enter the top 50 for the first time and took her to a new career-high ranking of world No. 43.[14]
Later in April she achieved another career-high of world No. 32 after reaching the semifinals at the Qatar Open as a qualifier where she lost to the eventual champion Petra Kvitova[15][16] and a fourth round run as a seeded player at the 2021 Miami Open losing to Maria Sakkari in a tight three set match. Her third round win over Karolína Plíšková in Miami was the third win in a row in three tournaments over the same player.[17]
In May, at the Italian Open where she participated for the first time, she recorded the biggest victory of her career over world No. 2, Naomi Osaka, in the second round. This was her fifth top-ten win in 2021 and in her career.[18] She next prevailed over Ekaterina Alexandrova to set up a quarterfinal with Petra Martic. Thanks to this great showing at her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal in 2021, after the one at 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships, she entered the top 30 for the first time.
In June, at the French Open, she reached the third round for the first time in her career where she lost to fourth seed Sofia Kenin.[19] At the Berlin Open, Pegula reached the quarterfinals defeating for the fourth time Karolína Plíšková in their fourth in a row meeting in 2021. As a result, she entered the top 25 on June 21, 2021.
She reached her third WTA 1000 quarterfinal of 2021 at the Canada Masters in the Canadian Open edition in Montreal, defeating compatriot Danielle Collins in a close three set match needing six match points to win in a thrilling finish.[20] She then went on to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal and second semifinal for the season, defeating 13th seed Ons Jabeur in 88 minutes.[21] At the US Open, she reached the third round for a second consecutive year. At Indian Wells, she reached her fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal, defeating world No. 7 (her 7th top-10 win for the season) and fourth seed Elina Svitolina before she lost to former two-time champion Victoria Azarenka.[22]
2022: World No. 8 in singles, Major doubles final & top 15 debut
She started her season in Melbourne, where she played as a top seed but lost to Irina-Camelia Begu in the first round. In Sydney, she lost to Caroline Garcia in the first round.
At the Australian Open, she defeated Anhelina Kalinina, Bernarda Pera, Nuria Párrizas Díaz and fifth seed Maria Sakkari to reach her second consecutive quarterfinal at this major. She lost the quarterfinal match to world No. 1 and eventual champion, Ashleigh Barty, but moved to highest rankings in singles (No. 16) and doubles (No. 41) on January 31, 2022.
In Doha she won her first WTA 1000 title with Coco Gauff unseeded, defeating third seeds Elise Mertens and Veronika Kudermetova in the final.[23] As a result she reached the top 30 in doubles at No. 29 on 28 February 2022.
At the 2022 Miami Open she reached her second WTA 1000 semifinal of her career after two back-to-back retirements, Kalinina in round of 16 and Paula Badosa in the first set of the quarterfinal.[24] She lost to the upcoming No. 1 Iga Świątek.[25]
She reached her seventh WTA 1000 quarterfinal at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open defeating Bianca Andreescu in straight sets.[26][27] She reached her third semifinal at the WTA 1000 level and second straight for the season defeating first time Madrid quarterfinalist Sara Sorribes Tormo.[28] Next she defeated Jil Teichmann to reach her first WTA 1000 final and become the third American to do so after Venus Williams (2010) and Serena Williams (2012 and 2013) in Madrid.[29] As a result she improved her career-high ranking to World No. 11 on 9 May 2022 and her chances to enter the top 10 in the rankings.
Seeded 11th at the 2022 French Open she reached the quarterfinals for the first time at this Major defeating previous year semifinalist and 24th seed Tamara Zidansek in the third round and Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth.[30] She lost to top seed Iga Swiatek.[31] As a result she broke into the top 10 in the singles rankings for the first time at World No. 8 on 6 June 2022. She also reached her first Grand Slam final in doubles partnering with Gauff.[32][33] As a result she reached the top 15 in the doubles rankings. Seeded 8th at the 2022 Wimbledon, she lost to Petra Martic in straight sets after reaching the third round for the first time.[34]
Career statistics
Grand Slam performance timelines
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | P | NH |
Singles
Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | Q1 | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | 0 / 3 | 8–3 | 73% |
French Open | A | A | Q2 | A | Q3 | Q1 | A | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | QF | 0 / 4 | 6–4 | 60% |
Wimbledon | A | A | Q1 | A | Q3 | Q2 | A | A | 1R | NH | 2R | 3R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% |
US Open | Q2 | Q2 | A | A | 2R | 1R | Q1 | Q3 | 1R | 3R | 3R | 0 / 5 | 5–5 | 50% | |
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 9–4 | 10–3 | 0 / 15 | 22–15 | 59% |
Doubles
Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | ... | 2015 | 2016 | ... | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | SR | W–L | Win% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | 100% | ||
French Open | A | A | A | A | 3R | QF | 2R | F | 0 / 4 | 11–4 | 73% | ||
Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 1R | NH | 3R | A | 0 / 2 | 2–2 | 50% | ||
US Open | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 0 / 7 | 4–7 | 36% | |||
Win–loss | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 5–2 | 0 / 16 | 19–16 | 46% |
Significant finals
Grand Slam tournament finals
Doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2022 | French Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
WTA 1000 finals
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2022 | Madrid Open | Clay | ![]() |
5–7, 6–0, 2–6 |
Doubles: 1 (1 title)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 2022 | Qatar Open | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 7–5, [10–5] |
World TeamTennis
Pegula made her World TeamTennis debut in 2020 joining the Orlando Storm at the start of the season, which was played at The Greenbrier.[35]
Pegula emerged as one of the top players in the WTT 2020 season. After the dismissal of Danielle Collins, Pegula went on to play women's singles, women's doubles with Darija Jurak, and mixed doubles with Ken Skupski and Tennys Sandgren. She posted a strong 9-2 record in singles to help the Storm earn a No. 3 seed in the WTT Playoffs. The Storm would ultimately fall to the Chicago Smash in the semifinals.
Notes
References
- ^ "Jessica Pegula ties the knot with longtime partner Taylor Gahagen".
- ^ Majumdar, Aayush. "Who is Jessica Pegula's husband? Meet Taylor Gahagen, who tied the knot with the tennis star last year". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
- ^ Fink, James (August 11, 2016). "Pegula daughters to open Healthy Scratch in HarborCenter". Buffalo Business First. The Business Journals. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ Fink, James (March 20, 2017). "Healthy Scratch food truck hitting the streets". Buffalo Business First. The Business Journals. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ Clair Maciel (September 2, 2020). "Getting to Know: Jessica Pegula". US Open. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ WTA Staff (September 15, 2018). "Pegula rallies past Kenin to reach first career final". WTA Tennis. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Stephanie Livaudais (April 3, 2019). "The 100 Club: Jessica Pegula rises through adversity in Charleston". WTA Tennis. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Juzwiak, Jason (August 4, 2019). "'This is what you work for': Pegula romps to first WTA singles title at Citi Open". WTA Tennis. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ Stephanie Livaudais (January 12, 2020). "Serena ends trophy wait in Auckland, fights past Pegula in final". WTA Tennis. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Pegula sinks Sabalenka to seal Cincy quarterfinals". WTA Tennis. August 25, 2020. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Alex Macpherson (August 26, 2020). "Mertens speeds past Pegula to make Cincinnati semis". WTA Tennis. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ WTA Staff (September 5, 2020). "Kvitova powers past Pegula into US Open round of 16". WTA Tennis. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Elina Svitolina Stunned as Jessica Pegula Reaches Last Eight with Upset Win". Eurosport. February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Who is Jessica Pegula, the Surprise Australian Open Quarterfinalist". February 16, 2021.
- ^ "WTA roundup: Jessica Pegula reaches Qatar semis with upset". Reuters. March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2022 Draws".
- ^ "Pegula scores hat trick over Pliskova, Sorribes Tormo outlasts Rybakina in Miami".
- ^ "Pegula shocks Osaka; Barty, Pliskova book round-of-16 slots in Rome".
- ^ "Jessica Pegula's run at French Open ends to fourth-seeded Sofia Kenin".
- ^ "Jabeur dethrones Andreescu in Montreal third round; Pegula ends Collins' streak".
- ^ "Giorgi ousts Gauff; Pegula upends Jabeur to reach Montreal semis".
- ^ "Azarenka storms past Pegula, becomes first player into Indian Wells semis".
- ^ "Gauff, Pegula charge to doubles title in Doha".
- ^ "Pegula needs only 5½ sets to reach Miami semis". March 30, 2022.
- ^ "Swiatek holds off Pegula to win 16th straight match and make Miami final".
- ^ @WTA_insider (May 3, 2022). "Jessica Pegula is into her 7th WTA 1000 quarterfinal, 2nd of the season (Miami SF), and 2nd on clay (2021 Rome).D…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Sorribes Tormo battles past Kasatkina into Madrid quarters, Pegula takes out Andreescu".
- ^ "Pegula, Teichmann set semifinal showdown in Madrid".
- ^ "Pegula makes first WTA 1000 final after ousting Teichmann in Madrid".
- ^ "Pegula, Swiatek reach French quarters; Keys falls". May 30, 2022.
- ^ "Make it 33: Swiatek beats Pegula in French Open quarterfinals".
- ^ "Doubles Take: Roland Garros draws winding down".
- ^ "Gauff, Pegula to meet Garcia, Mladenovic in French Open doubles final".
- ^ "Nadal, Fritz, Goffin, Badosa advance; Pegula's run ends". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ "World TeamTennis Adds Stars Tiafoe, Puig, Roanic, Bouchard, & Sock As Rosters Set For 2020". WTT.com. June 16, 2020.