World No. 6 Jessica Pegula has had a strong start at the 2024 US Open, winning her first four games without dropping a single set. The American tennis player most recently defeated 18th-seeded Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the round of 16, setting up a quarterfinal clash with the World No. 1, Iga Swiatek.
Following defending champion Coco Gauff’s shock exit in the fourth round to Emma Navarro, Pegula is now the highest-seeded American in the tournament and the home favorite to go all the way. The American has equaled her best-ever showing at a Grand Slam, as the last eight is the furthest she has gone in all four Majors.
Pegula has faced her next opponent, Swiatek, nine times, with eight coming on hard courts and a sole meeting on clay. The Pole has dominated their meetings, coming out on top six times. The pair met at the 2022 US Open where Swiatek beat Pegula 6-3, 7-6(4).
Six-time singles and seven-time doubles WTA title winner Jessica Pegula hopes to exorcise the ghosts of her past and overcome her longstanding hurdle, where she has fallen six times before going into her seventh Major quarterfinal. Here is everything you need to know about America’s biggest hope in the women’s singles at Flushing Meadows:
Who is Jessica Pegula?
Born on February 24, 1994, to Kim and Terry Pegula, Jessica Pegula is one of three siblings. She is partly of Korean descent, and her mother, Kim, hails from Seoul. Kim was adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr in 1974.
Kim was a cheerleader in high school and met her future husband, Terry Pegula while interviewing for a waitressing position. Jessica’s father, Terry, graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in engineering. He briefly worked with Getty Oil, but his rise to fame and wealth came when he founded his own oil and gas company, East Resources Inc., in 1983. The couple also owns Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the NFL franchise Buffalo Bills, and the NHL outfit Buffalo Sabres.
Though being the daughter of billionaire parents may seem like a dream from the outside, it comes with its trials and tribulations, as Jessica always bears the cross of being born with a golden spoon and having everything handed to her. Furthermore, she went through the distressing experience of her mother suffering a cardiac arrest.
Writing about it in The Players’ Tribune in 2023, Jessica Pegula spoke about how her mother was unresponsive, and her sister Kelly had to perform CPR on her until the medics arrived. She was also revealed to have been dealing with expressive aphasia by her family in 2023. It is a condition wherein an individual may understand speech but have trouble speaking fluently.
Kim Pegula was the president of both the Buffalo Bills and the Sabres till her heart attack and has since been relieved of these positions but is still listed as an owner. Jessica has hailed her mother as an inspiration and her super-independent nature inspired her to pursue a tennis career. In a post-match press conference at Wimbledon, the American noted her mother’s sacrifices early on in her life and how her support has been critical in the World No. 6 focusing on her career.
Further, the then-29-year-old said that maybe she inspired her mother by continuing to play tennis during her hospitalization, helping Kim recover. Despite several people calling her out on her lack of ambition owing to her privileged background, Jessica remains strong, stating that an athlete wouldn’t taste success without talent and hard work, irrespective of their upbringing.
Jessica Pegula’s US Open campaign so far
Seeded sixth in the Women’s singles, Jessica Pegula opened her account at Flushing Meadows with a resounding win against compatriot Shelby Rogers in the first round, winning 6-4, 6-3.
She beat another American in the second round, Sofia Kenin 7-6(4), 6-3 at the Louis Armstrong Stadium. She would ease past her Spanish namesake Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the third round at Arthur Ashe Stadium, beating her in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.
Her round-of-16 game saw Pegula ease past Diana Shnaider to set up another meeting with Iga Swiatek. This will be the duo’s tenth time facing each other and the second time playing in the quarterfinals of the US Open after 2022 when the Pole won her first US Open title.