Jessica Pegula will be hoping her victory at the Dubai Tennis Championships is a sign of things to come.
Pegula beat Elina Svitolina to win the tournament in Dubai, which is her fourth title at WTA 1000 level.
While the American is often praised for her consistency, Pegula’s victory in Dubai was her first title of any kind since June.
With Pegula returning to the winner’s circle, former top 30 player Steve Johnson has given his verdict on whether this now makes her a contender for Grand Slam titles in the future.
Steve Johnson suggests Jessica Pegula is now a Grand Slam contender
Pegula beat the likes of Svitolina, Amanda Anisimova and Iva Jovic to win the Dubai Tennis Championships this year.
However, there were a lot of big names missing from the WTA 1000 tournament, including both Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek withdrawing from the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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When assessing Pegula’s victory in Dubai on the Nothing Major Podcast, Johnson suggested that he thinks she is a contender for Grand Slam titles in the future.
“I think this was a really important win for Jess just to kind of solidify her confidence in the belief that she can win these big events,” said Johnson. “Some of the biggest names weren’t there, they pulled out so the event didn’t have the top couple women – Sabalenka, Swiatek, I believe.
“It was just a good tournament for Jess. She goes over there, she gets a title, she didn’t play the week prior, she needed a rest from Australia which is good. She goes over there, gets a win (Dubai).
“For her, what’s left to accomplish is winning a Slam title and winning these types of events, it’s not a slam title but it gives you the confidence to go out there and take care of business.
“The final, it was clinical. She took Svitolina, just over an hour, an hour 10 minutes or so. And from start to finish it was Jess playing her best tennis and taking care of business.”
Johnson added, “Great week for Jess. If she can continue this… she’s a Slam contender so winning events like this can only further your confidence in that regard.”
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What is Jessica Pegula’s best Grand Slam tournament?
Showcasing her consistency on all surfaces, Pegula has reached at least the quarterfinals of every Grand Slam tournament.
Pegula reached the US Open final in 2024, where she lost to Sabalenka, and to date that is still her best result at a Grand Slam tournament.
However, in terms of win-loss record the US Open is actually not Pegula’s best major tournament, as she has a slightly higher winning percentage at the Australian Open.
Pegula’s least successful Grand Slam tournament has been Wimbledon, where she has only won 57% of her matches.
| Grand Slam | Jessica Pegula’s Win-loss Record | Jessica Pegula’s Best Result |
| Australian Open | 20-7 (74%) | Semifinal (2026) |
| French Open | 11-6 (65%) | Quarterfinal (2022) |
| Wimbledon | 8-6 (57%) | Quarterfinal (2023) |
| US Open | 23-9 (72%) | Final (2024) |
It is still some time until the next Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, which begins at the end of May, but it is not long until Pegula returns to the match court.
Pegula was expected to withdraw from the ATX Open after winning the title in Dubai, but it appears that she will actually compete in Austin, Texas.
The world number five will play her first round match against Rebecca Sramkova on Tuesday, February 24.
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