Jessica Pegula is enjoying yet another outstanding season, having just added another WTA 1000 trophy to her cabinet.
The American has had one of the great late-career rises, having gone from struggling down the rankings at 25 to a regular inside the world’s top ten now at 31.
And, with this form, there’s cause for optimism that a Grand Slam title could be within her grasp.
Naturally, winning an event of that magnitude is never easy, especially when tasked with overcoming the wealth of talent that the WTA Tour currently boasts.
Jessica Pegula actually touched on the current state of women’s tennis when reacting to all the withdrawals in Dubai after winning the title.
Jessica Pegula rates the current state of women’s tennis
Speaking at her press conference, the world number five admitted that the fanfare early on in the tournament was perhaps blown out of proportion, given how it all panned out.
After all, with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrawing before it had even begun, and stars like Elena Rybakina, Victoria Mboko and Karolina Muchova all retiring mid-way through the week, many used it as an opportunity to question this event and its scheduling.
Which Grand Slam is Jessica Pegula most likely to win?
Pegula claimed: “Yeah, I mean, I was looking at the draw actually. We talked about all these withdrawals.
“But, I mean, like, we had four top-10 girls in the semis. We had a few more in the quarters.
It just shows you the depth of women’s tennis. It just shows you the level is so high week in and week out. Even when you have a lot of players withdrawing, just because we’re missing a few, it doesn’t mean that we still can’t put on some great tennis.”
She then blended her answer with an assessment on the WTA Tour, adding: “I think we did that especially last night with some really good matches. The night before, my draw was very hard; it was a really tough draw. I was able to beat a couple top-10 players along the way. It definitely was not a cakewalk by any means.
Who is your favorite player on the WTA Tour right now?
“Like you say, it shows the depth of the game right now. It’s not easy. It’s hard every single week, every single day. Especially in these shorter events where you’re coming back-to-back days, having to battle right away. Not just battle anybody, but girls that are really, really good.
“Yeah, super proud of the state our sport is in right now. I think it’s super strong.”
Every title of Jessica Pegula’s career so far
Pegula has now been involved in 21 tour-level finals throughout her career, winning ten.
Naturally, the calibre of competition in which she has been succeeding has increased as she has improved, particularly in the last three years or so.
At WTA 1000 events, she boasts an even record of four wins and four losses in finals. Although she has lost three of her last four at this stage.
Then, in her sole Grand Slam final, she was beaten by Aryna Sabalenka.
Overall, Pegula has three titles at WTA 250 tournaments, three more at WTA 500 tournaments, four at WTA 1000s, and none at majors… yet.
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