Last September, 19-year-old Coco Gauff won her first U.S. Open title, and now American tennis fans have another star to root for: Jessica Pegula.
For those of you who haven’t been following the tournament yet, let me provide a brief synopsis: World No. 6 Pegula has been dominating the court, scoring a major upset over world No. 1 Iga Swiantek on Wednesday, followed by another stunning win over Karolina Muchova in the semifinals. This Saturday, the 30-year-old standout will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final, with a Grand Slam title on the line.
If you’re an avid tennis fan, you’re probably already familiar with Pegula’s (pretty impressive) game, but if you’re just starting to watch tennis or want to learn more about her ahead of this weekend’s big match, here are some important (and fun) facts about the American powerhouse.
1. This is Pegula’s first Grand Slam final.
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Before this week, Pegula had reached only six Grand Slam quarterfinals — three at the Australian Open, one at the French Open, one at Wimbledon and one at the 2022 U.S. Open — so this will be her first major final.
“I was happy to come back and win this match on such a big stage,” Pegula said on the court. Interview after winning the semifinals on Thursday night.[Aryna]It’s obviously going to be tough to beat, but that’s what the finals are about, so we’re ready.”
2. Her breakthrough came just three years ago.
While many top players, like Sabalenka and Gauff, rose through the rankings in their teens or early 20s, Pegula’s rise was a little more gradual. She beat big names like Victoria Azarenka, Samantha Stosur and Elina Svitolina at the 2021 Australian Open to break into the world top 50 for the first time at age 27. Since then, Pegula has continued to win major tournaments, including the 2023 Australian Open. and To get to where she is now, she will need to compete in the 2024 Canadian Open.
3. Her doubles partner is none other than Coco Gauff.
Since pairing together in 2021, Pegula and Gauff have won five doubles titles, including the 2023 Miami Open. Their great teamwork didn’t stop there: later that year, they became the world’s No. 1 doubles team, the first U.S. pair to achieve this milestone since 2012. (Gauff and Pegula were also the only regular doubles team to ever rank individually in the top 10.) Women’s Tennis Association.
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Though the pair agreed to take a break from their doubles winning streaks to focus on their singles careers, Pegula has nothing but praise for her teammate.[Coco] I feel more confident in myself and I know what I want,” Pegula said. He told reporters “She’s also at an age where she’s learning a lot. She’s figuring out what she wants and how she wants it and making more of her own decisions, and we’ve seen that over the past year.”
4. Tennis brought Pegula closer to her Korean roots.
For those of you who don’t already know, Pegula is of Korean descent, an identity that’s important to her and one she’s very proud of.
