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World's richest tennis player Jessica Pegula will one day inherit incredible $75M yacht

Jessica pegula is the daughter of billionaire terry pegula, who is the owner of the buffalo bills and buffalo sabres, and the american tennis star is set to inherit a stunning super yacht..

When Jessica Pegula, the world's richest tennis player, decides to retire from professional tennis, she will have the luxury of traveling in style. Despite being ranked No. 5 globally and yet to secure a Grand Slam title, her net worth stands at an impressive £9.45 million.

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The yacht features an entire deck dedicated to the owner, equipped with a private al-fresco dining area, a state-of-the-art suite, a jacuzzi, and five spacious cabins. Comfort is also ensured for staff members, with private cabins provided for the captain, chief engineer, and first officer, along with a large dining area for the crew.

The upper deck is designed for warm weather enjoyment. Pegula , a four-time tour winner, can stay fit in a large swimming pool, and the area also includes barbecue facilities, sun pads, and a sauna.

This floor also houses two lounges, one indoor and one outdoor, and is crowned by a massive fire pit area for family and guests to relish late into the night. However, the yacht isn't solely for relaxation; it's also built for speed.

The Top Five II is powered by twin Caterpillar engines, enabling it to reach speeds over 15 knots (17 mph/28kph) with an autonomous range of 4,200 nautical miles (4,800 miles/7,770 km) at cruising speed. The vessel also boasts a premium dynamic positioning system, zero-speed stabilisers, a chart system, and a sonar.

Pegula, who has ventured into her own business projects and launched her own skincare line, Ready 24, in 2017, hasn't expressed any retirement plans yet. But considering the gift that awaits her and her siblings, it's understandable if she's already looking forward to her post-WTA Tour days.

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Named after tennis star Jessica Peluga, the 200-foot-long Top Five II superyacht offers an abundance of entertainment. The family yacht has multiple pools, a BBQ area, fire pits, an array of toys and tenders, and guest cabins adorned with designer accessories.

Features of the top-class motoryacht Top Five II:

This big boat is larger-than-life for a hell of an entertaining stint on the sea. It is enormous with wide side decks, large sofas, large cabinets, and deck heights spanning 7.5 to 8 feet tall. This height allows wide and large windows to take in wonderful, uninterrupted views. The main saloon is an elegantly designed space comprising a large dining table seating 14, a lounge area, and a stylish bar dividing the two areas.

The famous Pegulas own Top Five II:

One of the five kids who the luxury vessel is named after is Jessica Peluga, a 30-year-old American professional tennis player and daughter of Terrance Peluga. The winner of 10 WTA titles grew up in the lap of luxury owing to her billionaire parents. Her father Terry Pegula is a prominent figure in the sports industry as is she on the Tennis court.

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Source: DailyExpress

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Jessica pegula, latest player videos.

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Working with the coaching team of Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein Recently parted ways with coach David Witt; formerly with Michael Joyce Parents are Terrence (works in oil and gas) and Kim (business owner); her parents are principal owners of the Buffalo Bills (NFL), while Terry Pegula also owns hockey team the Buffalo Sabres (NHL) Brothers are Michael and Matthew, sisters are Laura and Kelly; also has three pets - Laura played Division I college tennis at the University of Pittsburgh Introduced to tennis by family at age 7 Nickname is JP Favorite shot is backhand down the line; favorite tournament is the US Open Tennis idol was Martina Hingis One word to describe her would be "Determined" Owns her own skincare company called 'Ready 24' Also enjoys golf, sports, and design Married Taylor Gahagen in October 2021 Passionate about new charity with her husband called A Lending Paw

Career Highlights

SINGLES Winner (4): 2023 - Montreal [1000], Seoul; 2022 - Guadalajara [1000]; 2019 - Washington DC. Finalist (6): 2023 - Doha, Tokyo, WTA Finals; 2022 - Madrid; 2020 - Auckland; 2018 - Québec City. DOUBLES Winner (7): 2023 - Doha, Miami (both w/Gauff); 2022 - Melbourne 250 #2 (w/Muhammad), Washington DC (w/Routliffe), Doha, Toronto, San Diego (all w/Gauff) Finalist (5): 2024 - San Diego (w/Krawczyk); 2023 - Madrid (w/Gauff), Rome (w/Gauff); 2022 - Roland Garros (w/Gauff); 2020 - 125/Indian Wells (w/McNally)

Career in Review

Won two titles in 2023, her second WTA 1000 tournament at Montreal and also WTA 250 Seoul. Also finished R-Up at Doha, Tokyo and at the WTA Finals in Cancun. In doubles ascended to No.1 ranking (co-ranked with Coco Gauff) after 2023 US Open. Achieved career-high No. 3 in October 2022 after defeating four Grand Slam champions at Guadalajara, en route to ending three-year wait for second WTA title (d. Sakkari in F) Qualified for WTA Finals Fort Worth in both singles and doubles (w/Gauff), thus becoming the first Americans to debut in singles and doubles at the season-ending showpiece since Davenport in 1994 Reached QF at three of the four majors in 2022, breaking into Top 10 after doing so at Roland Garros (June 6, 2022) One of seven players to win 40 or more matches in 2022, alongside Swiatek, Jabeur, Garcia, Sakkari, Kasatkina and Bencic In 2021, reached the QF or better on seven occasions, including at the Australian Open Broke into Top 20 on November 1, 2021 Began 2020 with runner-up finish at Auckland (l. S.Williams), other standout results were a QF at Western & Southern Open (as qualifier, l. Mertens) and a 3r showing at US Open (l. Kvitova) On the doubles court in 2020, reached QFs of Roland-Garros (w/Muhammad) and Cincinnati (w/Rogers) Won her first WTA title at 2019 Washington DC (d. Giorgi in F) Also in 2019, fell 1r on main draw debut at Roland-Garros (l. eventual champion Barty) and Wimbledon (l. Buzarnescu) and Miami (as a qualifier, l. Konta) Broke into Top 100 for the first time on February 4, 2019 following back-to-back R-Up finishes at WTA 125K Series event at Newport Beach and W100 ITF Circuit tournament in Midland-MI, USA Highlights of 2018 included finishing R-up as a qualifier at Quebec City (l. Parmentier in F), recording SF finish at Houston WTA 125K Series tournament (l. S.Peng) and reaching QF or better at 10 ITF events Did not play between January and August 2017 after undergoing hip surgery. Primarily played at ITF Circuit events for the rest of the year, winning two doubles titles with Townsend Played a mixture of WTA and ITF Circuit events in 2016 with highlight coming at Washington DC, where she defeated No.14 Stosur for first Top-20 win of career on her way to a SF finish (l. Davis) Reached 2r on Grand Slam main draw debut at 2015 US Open (as qualifier, d. Van Uytvanck, l. Cibulkova) Sidelined from tennis for a year and a half between 2013 and 2015 due to a right knee injury Made WTA qualifying debut at 2009 Ponte Vedra Beach and WTA main draw debut at 2012 Indian Wells

Matches do not include current week match results.

Sorry, there are no matches available for this year.

No grand slam information available at this time

This player has not participated in any Grand Slam Singles Main Draw events

* For purposes of the player profile, individual player stats are cumulative for the calendar year and not calculated using a minimum match requirement.

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Buffalo’s Jessica Pegula beats Coco Gauff, advances to WTA Finals championship

• Published: Nov. 05, 2023, 7:01 a.m.

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns a shot to Coco Gauff of the United States, during a women's singles semifinal match at the WTA Finals tennis championships, in Cancun , Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. AP Photo/Fernando Llano

• The Associated Press

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Buffalo’s Jessica Pegula outplayed U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff and beat her 6-2, 6-1 at the WTA Finals on Saturday in a matchup between American doubles partners on a rainy and windy evening to reach the title match at the season-ending championship for the first time.

Their semifinal was tied at 2-all when the fifth-seeded Pegula — a 29-year-old born in New York and now based in Florida who is a decade older than Gauff — reeled off six games in a row to claim the opening set and lead 2-0 in the second.

This was the first time two U.S. women played each other in the final four at this event since 2002, when Serena Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati. When Saturday’s semifinal ended after an hour, Pegula and the third-seeded Gauff met at the net for a hug.

“Coco is still the present and the future of U.S. tennis. I’m happy that I’m also at the top of the game and one of the leaders for all the Americans,” Pegula said. “So that’s always really nice. And that’s kind of just where I see myself.”

They were scheduled to play a doubles match together later Saturday, but that was wiped out by rain — and the second singles semifinal, between No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek, was suspended for the night. They were in just the fourth game when a storm arrived.

Action was halted with Swiatek leading 2-1 and Sabalenka serving at 30-all. Both wrapped themselves in white towels to brace against the chill. Organizers waited for nearly two hours before calling off all competition for the day.

Swiatek and Sabalenka were scheduled to resume their match Sunday; the singles final, originally slated for Sunday, was pushed back to Monday.

Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January and was the runner-up to Gauff at the U.S. Open in September. Swiatek won the French Open in June for her fourth major championship.

“They’ve won Grand Slam titles and big events before, so I’m assuming I’ll probably be the underdog again,” Pegula said, “even though I’m playing some really great tennis.”

Pegula has won all eight singles sets she’s played this week at the tournament for the top eight players in women’s tennis. She is the first player since Williams in 2012 to get to the final without dropping a set.

Gauff vs. Pegula started about an hour late because of showers — bad weather has been a theme throughout the WTA Finals — and then was delayed by two rain interruptions in the second set of just under 15 minutes each. Shifting breezes affected the way balls traveled.

“She was playing well with the wind and I wasn’t. So, yeah, that’s pretty much it,” Gauff said, mentioning that they didn’t have the chance for a full warmup before getting on court to play. “At the end of the day, she was the more experienced player when it came to these circumstances. So I’m not going to blame the weather or anything. We were in the same boat.”

It’s true: None of that seemed to slow Pegula, who is bidding for the most prestigious title of her career.

“To get through here in such a tough field is going to give me a lot of confidence going into next year,” said Pegula, who is on a nine-match winning streak, including a run to the Korean Open trophy last month. “I thought I’ve been able to handle all the opponents that I faced really well, even in the conditions and stuff like that.”

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Jessica Pegula

• Jessica Pegula has a career-high WTA ranking of No. 28 in singles and No. 55 in doubles, both achieved on May 17, 2021.

Who is Jessica Pegula?

• Jessica Pegula is an American professional tennis player. She is the eldest daughter of Terry Pegula and his second wife Kim S. Pegula. Terry Pegula is an American billionaire businessman, with interests in natural gas development, real estate, entertainment, and professional sports. 

• Her mother Kim S. Pegula is a South Korean-born American businesswoman and, along with her husband, Terry Pegula, one of the principal owners of the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League.
•  In 2018, Pegula reached her first WTA singles final at the Tournoi de Québec in September as a qualifier. She beat Kristýna Plíšková, Ons Jabeur, second seed Petra Martić and fifth seed Sofia Kenin en route to the final, where she lost to eighth seed Pauline Parmentier in straight sets. This brought her ranking back inside the top 200 and helped her finish the year inside the top 125.
• Pegula attained major success at the Australian Open, defeating former Australian Open champion and 12th seed Victoria Azarenka, Kristina Mladenovic, former US Open champion Samantha Stosur and fifth seed Elina Svitolina to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal where she lost to eventual runner-up Jennifer Brady despite winning the first set. This strong showing at the Australian Open in February allowed Pegula to enter the top 50 for the first time and took her to a new career-high ranking of world No. 43. 

What nationality is Jessica Pegula?

• Jessica Pegula was born on 24th February 1994 in Buffalo, New York, the USA. Her birth name is Jessica Pegula. He holds an American nationality and belongs to mixed ethnicity. She has Korean ancestry from her mother's side while she is American from her father's side. Pisces is her star sign. She has kept his faith in Christianity since her childhood. 
• Jessica Pegula was born into a wealthy family. Her father, Terry Pegula, is an American professional sports investor and natural gas tycoon, and a multi-billionaire. Her mother, Kim S. Pegula, is a South Korean-born American businesswoman. She has two younger siblings: a sister named Kelly Pegula and a brother named Matthew Pegula. She also has two half-siblings, Michael and Laura born from her father's first marriage. 
• Jessica attended an expensive private school in Buffalo City. She finished high school through online classes to work around her tennis schedule. After her high school graduation, Jessica attended the University of Pittsburgh, in the Pennsylvania state of the United States where she played college tennis actively. 

Who does Jessica Pegula date?

• Despite being 27 years old, Jessica Pegula hasn't married yet. However, she is currently dating a handsome guy named Taylor Gahagen. Taylor Gahagen is a huge lover of dogs and other pet animals. 
• Her boyfriend has opened a dog rescue A Lending Paw with the slogan "Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely it will yours and theirs."
• Scrolling through Pegula's Instagram, she started posting pictures with Taylor in 2015. Their fans believe that the two is together since then.  

How rich is Jessica Pegula?

• As of June 2021, the estimated net worth of Jessica Pegula is more than $3 million. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth Jessie Pegula has a lavish lifestyle. Her father's net worth is $5.4 billion as of June 2020 while her mother's net worth is $100 Million. Furthermore, Jessie herself has earned a good deal of money out of her tennis career. She has reportedly won a career prize money of US $1,983,853 from her beginning career till now.
• In 2018, she reached her first WTA singles final at the Tournoi de Québec as a qualifier and ultimately won the first WTA title the following season at the Washington Open. In 2020, she was an ASB Classic Finalist.
• In August 2016, Pegula and her sister opened a quick-serve restaurant named, Healthy Scratch in LECOM Harborcenter, which is an ice hockey-themed mixed-use development owned by her parents in Buffalo, New York. The following year the Healthy Scratch business was to be expanded to food truck service. That same year, Pegula introduced her own skincare line called Ready 24.
• Her parents Terry and Kim Pegula own vast property across New York state and Pennsylvania. They have brought multi-million mansions in Pittsburgh and have also purchased an 11,159 sq ft villa in Western New York known as  Aurora estate for $2.5 million. Her father is also the owner of the luxurious Yacht called "The Top Five yacht" built by Hakvoort in 2021. The superyacht is designed by Sinot Yacht Design. 

How tall is Jessica Pegula?

• Jessica Pegula is 5 ft 7 inches tall and her body weight is 70 Kg. She has an hourglass-shaped body figure. Her curvaceous body measures 36-28-37 inches. The dress size of 4 (US) perfectly fits on her body. 
• She feels comfortable wearing a shoe size of 10 (US). She has a pair of brown eyes. She looks elegant in her silky and straight hair that is black in color. She does exercise regularly and goes to the gym every day. 

Facts About Jessica Pegula

• #1 Pegula reached the ATP women's top 100 in February 2019.
• #2 She defeated world No. 12, Anastasija Sevastova in the 2019 Volvo Car Open – Singles.
• #3 In the 2021 Italian Open, she recorded the biggest victory of her career over world No. 2 Naomi Osaka.
• #4 After the one at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships, she entered the top 30 for the first time.
• #5 She is coached by Jesse Levine.
• #6 She played right-handed (two-handed backhand).
• #7 Her mother was adopted at the age of 5 by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr.
• #8 She is a very powerful and skilled player.
• #9 Pegula began playing tennis at the age of 7.
• #10 Her current coach is David Witt.
• American tennis player
• Taylor Gahagen
• Terry Pegula
• Kim S. Pegula

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Jessica Pegula – 2023 Season Review

Jessica Pegula had momentum heading into 2023. A career-best 2022 saw the American reach three Grand Slam quarterfinals and win a maiden WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara. Was she able to better those achievements? This article provides the highs and lows of Pegula’s 2023 season.

Jessica Pegula 2023 Season Review

Pegula reached the biggest final of her career at the WTA Finals. There was much attention surrounding the difficult playing conditions in Cancun for the event, but the 29-year-old adapted immediately. She won all her group-stage matches, defeating Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina in straight sets. This was followed by a demolition of her doubles partner and US Open champion Coco Gauff 6-2 6-1 in the semifinal. Unfortunately for Pegula, she was unable to replicate that form in the final against Iga Swiatek .

Pegula’s biggest title of 2023 came at the WTA 1000 event in Montreal. She won a tight contest against doubles partner Gauff 6-2 5-7 7-5 in the quarterfinal. This was followed by another battling victory against world No. 1 Swiatek, with the semifinal finishing 6-2 6-7 6-4. Pegula then easily defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6-1 6-0 , who was visibly exhausted after a very late finish to her semifinal win.

The current American No. 2 made two Grand Slam quarterfinals in 2023. At the Australian Open, 2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova was one of those beaten by Pegula en route to the quarterfinal, but Victoria Azarenka then stopped Pegula’s run. At Wimbledon, the two-time WTA 1000 champion only dropped one set on her journey to the quarterfinal. However, the eventual champion at SW19, Marketa Vondrousova , won a close quarterfinal in three sets.

The six-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist reached three other finals in 2023. She won the title at the Korea Open, with a 6-2 6-3 final triumph against Yuan Yue. The 29-year-old also progressed to the final in Qatar, yet she got thwarted in the final once again by Swiatek. Finally, Pegula had a run to the final in Tokyo but lost out to Veronika Kudermetova.

Pegula will likely be most frustrated by failing to make a bigger breakthrough at a Grand Slam in 2023. The American’s six quarterfinals is an impressive achievement, but she is yet to take a step further. Her Wimbledon loss against Vondrousova will hurt in particular, since the American led 4-1 in the deciding set before losing five consecutive games.

Pegula may also have some regrets about her performance in the final of the WTA Finals. In truth, Swiatek was always going to be difficult to stop in the form she was in. Yet, the four-time WTA title winner played far below her best, and succumbed to a heavy 1-6 0-6 loss. The Montreal champion never gave herself a chance against someone of Swiatek’s quality with the level she produced.

Overall, 2023 was a positive year for Pegula, and one she should be proud of. Failing to progress past the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam will be a source of angst. However, Pegula ended the year as the World No. 5, won multiple titles in the same season for the first time, and had her highest win percentage in a season. Those are great achievements for a player who had never been past the first round of a Grand Slam until the 2020 US Open. Expect Pegula to perform strongly once again in 2024.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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Jessica Pegula explains coaching shake-up, not wanting to have 'regrets' - 'I needed to make tough decisions'

Published 27/02/2024 at 18:47 GMT

Jessica Pegula has a new coaching team as she returns to action at the San Diego Open this week. The world No. 5 parted company with former coach David Witt after the Australian Open, where she lost in the second round. Pegula has explained why she felt she needed to make "tough decisions" regarding her coaching team and also spoke about her new coaches, Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein.

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24/03/2024 at 08:24

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Jessica pegula strikes the right balance to unravel aryna sabalenka, top bacalar group in cancun, saudi arabia will host the women's tennis wta finals for the next three years, ambassador responds to call by evert and navratilova to keep women's tennis out of saudi arabia, “we can’t sit back”: chris evert, martina navratilova urge wta to stay out of saudi arabia, iga swiatek will finish the year at no. 1 after beating jessica pegula to win the wta finals, the aura of iga: on swiatek’s 2022-style run to the wta finals title, and the year-end no. 1 ranking, iga swiatek storms to wta finals title, clinches year-end no. 1 ranking for second year in a row, wta finals cancun final preview: iga swiatek vs. jessica pegula, iga swiatek tops aryna sabalenka at the wta finals to reach the title match and get a shot at no. 1, iga swiatek beats aryna sabalenka to reach wta finals final, now a win away from return to no. 1.

🇺🇸 @JPegula picks up her 5th straight win against a top-10 opponent, beating No.1 Sabalenka 6-4, 6-3! Converted on her SEVENTH match point. #WTAFinals pic.twitter.com/1i1xfnk6Yf — Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 31, 2023

By Chris Oddo

For five productive years, Jessica Pegula and longtime coach David Witt were a tandem to be reckoned with. The Buffalo, New York native rocketed up the rankings with Witt at the helm, rising from a peak ranking well outside the Top 50 to become a perennial Top 10 player and a regular participant in the business end at Grand Slams. 

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end…

In 2024, solidly entrenched in the Top 5 and operating as one of the elite talents in the women’s game, Pegula went for a surprising shake-up. She parted ways with Witt, who also acted as Venus Williams ’ coach from 2007 to 2018, after this year’s Australian Open and explained her decision at BNP Paribas Open Media Day on Wednesday. 

Having recently turned 30 (on February 24), Pegula believes it is time to let change be a catalyst.

“It definitely does [feel like a new beginning],” she said of the parting of ways, which was confirmed in early February. “David and I obviously had a lot of success and what we were able to accomplish together was pretty amazing but I think having started with him when I was maybe 25, and then being 30 this year, I think I’m just in a much different place – a different ranking, a different place personally and career-wise.” 

Still wanting to tick the next level in her already world-class career, Pegula confessed that she was motivated by a fear of regret. 

“I just felt like I needed to take some chances,” she said. “I’m 30 – not that being 30 is the end – and I think I just didn’t want to look back and be like ‘maybe I should have tried someone else, or tried something different.’”

Pegula, who will face either Anna Blinkova or Karolina Pliskova in the second round on Saturday, says she felt a strong desire to get out of her comfort zone. 

For the moment, she is working with a duo coaching tandem of former doubles stalwart Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein, a former ATP No. 160 who also previously coached alongside Bryan Shelton (father of Ben Shelton) at the University of Florida. 

But no official arrangement has been announced. 

“Obviously I’d been successful, it’s not like I’d been losing and I needed to change something,” she said. “More or less, it was just me wanting to make a change and I felt like it came pretty naturally. It wasn’t anything bad, it was just more me starting a little bit of a new chapter in my career. 

“I think it was just more to keep pushing myself, and I didn’t want to feel too comfortable. I kind of wanted to change things up and I think being uncomfortable makes you learn new things and pushes you in new directions and can be really helpful.”

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The Suddenly Hot ‘Coco and Jessie Show’ Is Ready to Open in New York

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula enter the U.S. Open with both on a roll. Can they withstand the home-country pressure?

By Matthew Futterman

A little more than a month ago, the idea that Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula might enter the U.S. Open as the two hottest players in tennis would have seemed preposterous.

Gauff had endured a disappointing and disheartening spring and early summer. There was yet another one-sided loss to Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, at the French Open, and then a first-round exit from Wimbledon.

Pegula had run into her quarterfinal wall once more at Wimbledon, despite having a break point for a 5-1 lead in the third set against Marketa Vondrousova, the eventual champion. And as a doubles team, Gauff and Pegula had lost the French Open final and fell in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Then came August.

There are essentially three women’s singles tournaments that matter during the North American hardcourt swing before it culminates in the U.S. Open. Gauff and Pegula swept them.

On successive Sundays, Gauff won the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., Pegula won the National Bank Open in Montreal, and Gauff won the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. In the course of a month, they positioned themselves as legitimate contenders to take their home-country Grand Slam event.

That can be a double-edged sword for Americans coming to New York, where the spotlight burns hottest, distractions abound, and there is so, so much noise, both literal and metaphorical. Subways and commuter trains rumbling by the stadiums, planes from LaGuardia roaring above and crowds screaming from the stands represent the Sturm und Drang that goes with carrying the hopes and expectations of the hometown fans.

“Just embracing it,” Gauff, 19, said after the tournament in Cincinnati. It was the biggest win of her career, especially given that she beat Swiatek, in the semifinals, for the first time. Gauff had been 0-7 against Swiatek , losing all 14 of their sets, heading into that match.

“Everybody’s path for you is not what’s true, it’s not what’s going to happen,” said Gauff, who has been playing with weighty expectations since she made the fourth round of Wimbledon when she was just 15. “Even the path that you want for yourself may not happen.”

Pegula, 29, has come to this moment from the opposite end. A classic late-bloomer who doesn’t have the height or obvious athleticism of many of the best women, she did not crack the top 100 until she was 25 years old. Now she is ranked third in the world, yet she often goes unmentioned in discussions of the world’s best players.

That is not necessarily a bad thing for Pegula, who last week was trying to keep things low-key, even as she headlined a junior tennis clinic in Harlem and bounced from one sponsor event or interview to another.

“I didn’t think I would be here, but at the same time, I’m really happy that I am,” Pegula said before banging balls for more than an hour with some of Harlem’s better young players.

As the U.S. Open gets underway, American tennis is riding high on optimism. A year after the retirement of Serena Williams , there is a “who’s next” vibe coursing through the sport. The U.S. is the only country with two women in the top six. The country also has two men in the top 10 for the first time in years, with plenty of eyes on last year’s breakout semifinalist, Frances Tiafoe .

That is no small thing to manage.

“It’s our home slam,” the American Danielle Collins, 29, said in an interview last week. “You so want to do well.”

Collins arrived in New York for last year’s Open just seven months after losing to Ashleigh Barty in the Australian Open final. Collins didn’t know how she was going to react to what awaited her at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Organizers scheduled her in a series of featured night matches, and she found herself soaking in the energy and the surreal experience of living through something she had dreamed about when she was a child watching the tournament on television. In the moments when her heart raced, she focused on slowing her breath, sometimes alternating her inhales from one nostril to the other.

“This is going to sound strange, but you have to play like you don’t care,” said Collins, who made the fourth round before falling in a three-set match to Aryna Sabalenka.

That is easier said than done, especially for Gauff and Pegula, who know they are in one of those rare moments in their careers where their form and their fitness are peaking and they are brimming with confidence.

In July, Gauff was frustrated with her recent results, the shakiness of her forehand and the dichotomy between the progress she felt she was making in training and her inability to get crucial wins. She added a new coach to her team who should be familiar to anyone who has paid attention to tennis, especially in America the past 40 years.

Brad Gilbert, the former pro and ESPN commentator who coached Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, had spent much of his coaching time during the previous year turning Zendaya, the actress and singer, into a serviceable tennis player for her part in the movie “Challengers” due out next spring, about a professional tennis love triangle.

Gilbert, 62, was keen for another gig with a top player, and began interviewing with Gauff’s parents and agent after her loss at Wimbledon. Gauff was reluctant.

To Gauff, Gilbert’s coaching success had mostly happened before she was born, she said with a giggle during the Citi Open. That said, Gilbert did start with both Agassi and Roddick shortly before they each won the U.S. Open. And his tweaks to her strokes, making them slightly shorter and more controlled and reminding her at every turn of her supreme athleticism — no one covers a court like Gauff these days — began to show immediate results.

“Let’s be real, anybody who is watching me play knows what I need to work on,” Gauff said in Washington when asked whether there might be conflicts between Gilbert and Pere Riba, the coach she hired in June. “You know, they know, the fans know.”

For Pegula, she said she let the sadness of her Wimbledon loss marinate for a couple of days. But once she arrived home in Florida, the relentlessness of the tennis schedule forced her to start mapping out her U.S. Open training plan — gym sessions, court time, treatments with her physiotherapist.

Then she headed to Montana for a few days. She rode a horse and went fly fishing. She immersed herself in the natural beauty and felt rejuvenated.

Still, she arrived in Montreal feeling slightly under the weather and unfocused. Her initial goal was just to survive the first match, and she did. Three days later, she beat Swiatek in the semifinals, then won the final, 6-1, 6-0, beating an exhausted Liudmila Samsonova, who was forced to play her rain-delayed semifinal match earlier that day.

Pegula brushed off her round-of-16 loss in Cincinnati to Marie Bouzkova and headed to New York, where she tries to let the energy of the city and the fans flow into her tennis, especially when she takes the court with Gauff for doubles.

“I remember even last year,” she said. “We lost the first round, but we had an amazing crowd.”

More of that is on the way.

An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to Danielle Collins’s performance at the 2022 Australian Open. She lost in the final in straight sets; she did not come “within a set of winning" the event.

How we handle corrections

Matthew Futterman is a veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.” More about Matthew Futterman

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Pegula Withdraws From Strasbourg Open Amid Continued Injury Struggle

By zachary wimer.

17/05/2024 02:50

The 2024 clay season is not going well for Jessica Pegula , who has yet to formally start it as she has yet to play a match on the red dirt on the WTA Tour.

The American last played in the Billie Jean King Cup, where she helped her country secure a spot in the Finals later that year. The initial plan back then was to go to Stuttgart and play at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, but due to the tight schedule, Pegula opted against that.

Her first event in the 2024 clay season should have been the Madrid Open, a place where she played well in the past and made a final once. It was a sound plan, but it didn't come true because the American suffered an injury during preparation for that event.

That wasn't ideal, but it wasn't a huge problem either, or at least it didn't look like a huge problem initially. It's proving to be quite a problem because she first withdrew from the Madrid Open and then also from the Italian Open in Rome.

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She even posted a small update on social media admitting that her Roland Garros participation might be in doubt , though it's not ruled out yet. That's a huge problem because no player wants o miss Grand Slam events.

There haven't been any updates since then, but Pegula withdrew also from the Strasbourg Open , which is supposed to begin in a few days. It's the final event before Roland Garros, so the fact that she won't be playing there might signal that she won't be playing in Paris either.

It might also signal that she's just skipping it to better prepare for Roland Garors, so only the upcoming weeks will really reveal the truth about her physical condition and readiness to compete in the French capital.

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Top American player provides injury update after missing Rome

Jessica Pegula has cast doubt on her entry into the French Open as she provided fans with an update on her injury status.

Pegula has not played a match on the clay swing and indicated that she will likely miss Roland Garros as well.

The American is recovering from an injury but has also indicated that she has been burnt out by the non-stop action of the WTA Tour.

“Hi guys — quick update — will miss Rome and possibly [Roland Garros]. I actually feel really good but have to work back into training at a snail’s pace,” Pegula wrote in an Instagram story.

Pegula would then post a series of photos of her and her husband Taylor Gahagen on a recent trip to Chicago.

She wrote she was happy to spend a few days unwinding as she “recovers and gets ready to return to court.”

Pegula has returned to training but is eager to take things slowly as she works her way back to her best.

She had admitted that she hasn’t been able to find her best level this season despite promising results in Miami, where she reached the last eight and Charleston, where she was a semi-finalist.

“I feel like I played so many matches over the last two, three years, singles, doubles, a lot,” Pegula conceded during the Billie Jean King Cup window in April.

“I think I was just maybe a little burnt out and didn’t start the year feeling that great or feeling super prepared with kind of a short off-season, with WTA Finals, going deep there [reaching the final, losing to Iga Swiatek].

“I do feel like I’ve found my ability to compete on the court again.

“Even though I may not be feeling like I’m playing the best tennis I ever played, I think between Miami and Charleston, I’ve definitely won some really, really tough matches and kind of gotten that competitive streak that maybe went missing for like a month or so.”

Pegula put in her best performance at Roland Garros last season, reaching the quarter-finals of the clay court slam.

Even if she misses the French Open she might still find herself competing at Roland Garros this season when the Olympics rolls around.

Pegula is not only a medal hope in the singles but is expected to challenge for doubles gold alongside regular playing partner Coco Gauff.

“Hopefully we can play the Olympics next year. I know it was a goal that she really wanted to get a medal there… and for me, too,” Pegula told Forbes.

“It’s been a really fun journey that both of us have been on,” Pegula said of her partnership with Gauff.

“She’s done all of this so young and me being a late bloomer… it’s very different.

“But I think we’ve gotten to learn from each other at the same time. It’s been really cool to see what she’s done.”

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