Jessica Pegula has been consistently one of the WTA’s top players for years now, and therefore has faced her fellow elites time and time again.
However, of all those who have regularly stuck with her at the top of the world rankings, few have routinely troubled her as often as Aryna Sabalenka has.
That should come as no surprise, given the qualities the Belarusian boasts. She is the undisputed world number one for a reason.
But, ahead of the Australian Open, it feels like common knowledge that anyone with genuine aspirations of claiming the title will have to go through her, as she seeks to wrestle back her crown after losing in the final last year.
Jessica Pegula, speaking to the press in Melbourne, has discussed that prospect as well as her rivalry over the years with Aryna Sabalenka.
Jessica Pegula discusses her rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka
The American, who currently sits sixth in the world rankings, first spoke about how they seem to bring out the best in one another: “Yeah, I think we’ve had — obviously she has beaten me more times, but I think we tend to bring out some really good tennis in each other. You know, matchups like that just happen. It happens to be for me and Sabalenka, we tend to have some pretty crazy matches. Really high level, I have always thought.”
However, she then explained what is so frustrating about their rivalry: “Even though it is frustrating sometimes, [that] I am not getting as many wins as I feel like I could be. I mean, she is the best player in the world for a reason and sustained that for quite a bit now, as you said.
Which American man and woman do you think will go furthest at the Australian Open?
“It is fun. She challenges me. You know, [it] pushes me to figure out how to become better. I think at the end of the day, that’s kind of what I try to take away from some of the tough matches. Even though I feel like I’ve had some chances to win them, and beating her on a bigger stage would be something that I am trying to strive for, especially at big tournaments.
“You know, I keep running into her, but I think it is also a little bit of a good problem to have. It means I am putting myself in good positions against the best player in the world.
“Yeah, it has been frustrating. But I think once I kind of get over the match itself, I look back, we’ve had some really cool matches. Some of the matches I played with her have been in some of the best atmospheres that I’ve gotten to experience. So I always try to take away those positives.”
Jessica Pegula’s head-to-head record against Aryna Sabalenka
Pegula and Sabalenka share a rivalry that has spanned six years now, with their first meeting coming in 2020.
It was the former who came out on top on that occasion, but it was the last time she would taste victory in this particular fixture for three years, losing four straight meetings in between.
What do you think of Aryna Sabalenka’s draw?
Again, Pegula lost another four straight matches to Sabalenka between 2023 and 2025, before claiming her third-ever victory against her late last year. Their head-to-head sits at 9-3 in favour of the top-ranked woman in the world.
Sabalenka beat Pegula in the US Open semi-finals last year too, in a repeat of their final match the year before. As the latter said, the fact that they are meeting as often as they do is a positive sign for both players, given their respective high rankings.
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