Jessica Pegula's US Open win came to an end with a win over Aryna Sabalenka.
But the American heiress' rise through the tennis ranks continues.
No, Pegula didn't have the power to match Sabalenka's powerful forehands, nor did she have the weapons to win the final on Saturday at Flushing Meadows. The world No. 2 hit 40 aces and outplayed Sabalenka in one or two key moments en route to a 7-5, 7-5 victory.
What Pegula has demonstrated is a determination to improve and a willingness to work.
A late bloomer at 30, who had never reached a Grand Slam semifinal until this week, Pegula finished the U.S. Open as a finalist and the No. 3 player in the world, proving that hard work can pay off.
“My movement is a little bit better, my serve is a little bit better, so maybe I'm a little bit more consistent than I was before,” Pegula said. “Baseline-wise, [my serve] It's not as up and down as much throughout the week and throughout the game. The same can be said about movement.
“Do I look at the ball like a watermelon every day? Not really. But taking other factors into account, maybe I look like I'm playing my best tennis.”
For the first time in her career, Pegula proved she could compete for a Grand Slam at full strength.
“I'm sure one day I'll win it,” Sabalenka said at the trophy ceremony, adding, “Maybe I'll win more, but I'll start with one.”
And that's the thing: Pegula, who admits he overcame a period when he questioned whether he even wanted to play, is now not only playing, but getting better at it, even at an age when some are retiring.
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, whom Pegula beat 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, is just 23, as is fellow American semifinalist Emma Navarro.
And Coco Gauff, Pegula's doubles partner in last year's Flushing triumph, is the epitome of genius, despite only being 20 years old.
But Pegula is 30, roughly the same age that Danielle Collins and Garbine Muguruza retired at and two years older than Ashleigh Barty. But she changed coaches this year, rebuilt her body and continues to train and tweak at her limits, drawing confidence from that training and the results.
“Yeah, I guess. If that doesn't inspire confidence then something must be wrong. It gives me confidence to win 250 matches, 1,000 matches, 1,000 matches again. Now multiple times. And a Grand Slam final was the last goal for me. I've been to multiple quarter-finals, but can I get to a semi-final? Can I be a contender to actually win a Grand Slam?”
“Maybe in an hour or two I'll get a lot of confidence out of this result, because it's a little frustrating. … Right now I'm just frustrated that I lost. Everybody's like, 'Congratulations, you had a great tournament,' and I'm like, 'Eh, who cares?'”
Pegula gave a clear answer on whether she will be able to play in the Grand Slams.
If anything, competing is what she does best.
Pegula has shown a determination to improve from a ranking of just 125th six years ago and a modest 62nd at the end of 2020. Even after making a big leap into the top 10, it still wasn't enough for Pegula. That's not surprising.
The daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, the billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres, she was never going to settle for mediocrity.
Pegula credits her father for pushing her to play well on the court, and she attributes her calm and collected demeanor to her mother, who nearly died of cardiac arrest in June 2022 and publicly got out of her car in July and, with Terry's help, broke up a group of Bills players before finishing training camp that day.
And on Saturday, Pegula said her parents were at Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch her big moment.
Pegula showed a fighting spirit that would make her mother proud: She competed for a Grand Slam title.
Next is to win.
“She's a very ambitious young woman. [win a Slam]”She's a great player,” coach Mark Knowles told The Post, “but it takes another level of belief, and I think she has that belief.”
