Why Jessica Pegula must be considered the best American player right now ahead of Coco Gauff

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The battle to be America’s top women’s player has taken many twists and turns in recent times, but Jessica Pegula arguably now tops the pile.

America boasts plenty of world-class female players right now, including Pegula, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova.

All three WTA superstars are currently building towards Wimbledon, which returns to the calendar later this month.

While overall ability cannot be based on rankings alone, it is Pegula who leads the way for Americans right now, and it’s fair to say that position is fully justified.

Which Grand Slam is Jessica Pegula most likely to win?

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Jessica Pegula must be considered the best American WTA player

Hitting superb levels at the age of 32, the experienced star has claimed two WTA titles in the 2026 season so far.

That is level with Elena Rybakina and Ukrainian duo Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk, and behind only the three each of Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka.

And Pegula now has the chance to join the Russian and the Belarusian, having just reached the final of the Berlin Open.

While the American did recently suffer a disappointing first round exit at the French Open, she’s bounced back superbly in her first grass-court event of the season.

The world number four has knocked out Sabalenka and Katerina Siniakova, as well as maintaining her superb record against fellow Americans thanks to her win over Madison Keys.

With that quarterfinal victory in Berlin, Pegula is now 7-0 against her compatriots in 2026, which strongly suggests her status as the top American player.

And very significantly, she boasts a 5-3 head-to-head record with Gauff, and a dominant 5-0 record with Anisimova.

The 10 highest-ranked American WTA players

Pegula, Anisimova and Gauff may be the only American players in the WTA top 10, but they are closely followed by a handful of talents in the top 30.

Undoubtedly leading the way in every sense is rising star Iva Jovic, with the 18-year-old currently ranked 17th.

She has been one of the standout players on the WTA Tour in 2026, and is definitely one to keep an eye on at Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys, Ann Li and Hailey Baptiste have all shown promise at various recent times to earn their positions in the rankings.

But perhaps the most attention at Wimbledon will be reserved for Anisimova, who enjoyed a dream run last year before losing the final to Iga Swiatek.

In a superb 2025 for American women, she also reached the US Open final, while Madison Keys won the Australian Open and Coco Gauff won the French Open.