Jessica Pegula suffers nightmare day in Miami after heartbreaking end to her doubles match

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Jessica Pegula will want to put her nightmare day at the Miami Open behind her as soon as possible.

Pegula was beaten in the singles quarterfinals by Elena Rybakina, despite winning the first set of the match.

Despite losing to Rybakina, that was not the end of the day for Pegula, who still had doubles to play alongside Australian teammate Storm Hunter.

It was the first time Pegula and Hunter had ever played with each other, but they looked well on course to reach the semifinals before things unravelled.

Jessica Pegula loses despite having four match points in doubles

Pegula and Hunter were playing against the formidable fourth seeded pairing of Elise Mertens and Shuai Zhang, who won the Australian Open doubles title together earlier this year.

Despite being the underdogs, Pegula and Hunter actually won the first set of the match, before Mertens and Zhang levelled the match up at a set apiece.

In doubles matches on both the ATP and WTA Tours, the third set is played as a match tie-break to 10, rather than as a traditional set.

Pegula and Hunter appeared to have put the disappointment of losing the second set behind them, and actually led the tie-break 9-5.

Despite having four match point opportunities, Pegula and Hunter were unable to convert and were ultimately beaten 14-12 in a dramatic tie-break.

While Pegula led in both of her matches at the Miami Open, she was unable to win either and ultimately ended the tournament in disappointing fashion.

What is next for Jessica Pegula?

Pegula will not play on hard courts now until the US Open hard court swing, as she turns her attention to the clay court swing.

This was a mixed part of the season for her in 2025, with Pegula winning her first clay court title in Charleston, but had more disappointing results in Madrid, Rome and at Roland Garros.

Pegula will return to the Charleston Open next week as the defending champion, where Amanda Anisimova, Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys are also playing.

Seven top 10 players have entered the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, but Pegula has decided not to return to the tournament where she lost in the quarterfinals last year.

Instead, Pegula’s clay court season is set to consist of her playing in Charleston, then Madrid and Rome before the second major of the year at Roland Garros.