Jessica Pegula says what she always notices about New York tennis fans whenever she plays there

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Jessica Pegula has a strong affiliation with New York state as she was born and raised in Buffalo.

Pegula ended her 2025 season at the WTA Finals, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Elena Rybakina.

The American has ended the year as the world number six, with Pegula winning three WTA titles this year, one on every surface.

Although she had concluded her 2025 season on the WTA Tour, Pegula had still signed up to play two exhibitions.

Jessica Pegula explains what is different about crowds in New York

Players competing in exhibitions often splits opinion, but there was another taking place over the weekend in Newark, featuring Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe.

When speaking to New York Post Sports ahead of their matches, both Pegula and Tiafoe were asked about crowds in both neighbouring states, New York and New Jersey.

Both players praised the crowds in the area, with Pegula claiming that tennis fans are ‘a lot more electric’ than normal.

“It’s great,” said Tiafoe. “I have a lot of love. Being here for The Open for a few years, I really like it.”

Pegula added, “To me it’s a lot more electric. You feel the energy from the city and the people and the people who live here. I feel like there’s so many influences and cultures and people who mix together. It’s always a special feeling when I come back.

“I always notice the energy being so much more, so I love feeding off of that and having fun with that. It’s just special. You can’t really compare it to anywhere else.”

Both Tiafoe and Pegula seemed to relish the atmosphere, as they won their respective singles matches against Alcaraz and Anisimova.

However, something had to give in the mixed doubles match to conclude the night, with Pegula and Alcaraz narrowly beating Anisimova and Tiafoe.

How do Jessica Pegula’s performances at the US Open compare to other Grand Slams?

Pegula spoke about feeding off the atmosphere in the New York area, and this is evidenced from her results at the US Open over the years.

The New York major is the only Grand Slam tournament where she has surpassed the quarterfinals, and Pegula went on to reach the US Open final in 2024.

Although she could not reach the final again this year, Pegula did make it all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Pegula’s second best Grand Slam tournament is statistically the Australian Open, having won 71.4% of her matches in Melbourne.

The 31-year-old will be hoping she can improve this record even further next year, as Pegula will be looking to make it past the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in January.