Jessica Pegula didn't leave Arthur Ashe Stadium with the U.S. Open trophy, but her husband got the win thanks to Stephen Curry.
Pegula, a two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion, and his wife, Ayesha, attended the women's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium and watched Pegula lose 5-7, 5-7 to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday night.
Pegula previously met Curry during the Olympics in Paris, where Curry won a gold medal, the first Olympic medal for the U.S. men's basketball team.
The couple sat behind the baseline before the match and had the chance to chat further with Pegula, before the American's husband, Taylor Gahagan, got to meet his hero.
“My husband's iPhone is called Stephen Curry. He loves Stephen Curry,” Pegula told The Associated Press. “Whenever I connect it over Bluetooth or send him something or airdrop it, it's 'Stephen Curry's iPhone.' So I got home early and my husband texted me and he was super excited. He didn't want to say anything. I said, 'Tell him I didn't tell him about the iPhone.' And he said, 'Yeah, yeah, I did.'”
“I thought it was really cute,” Pegula added. “He was like, 'No, I really liked it,' and I was like, 'Do you really think that? Or do you actually think you're kind of funny?' I think he thought it was pretty funny.”
Gahagen, who married the tennis star in 2021, worked for Pegula's parents, Buffalo Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula's sports entertainment management company, for nearly 10 years, according to People magazine.
Gahagen currently serves as vice president of his wife's skincare brand, Ready 24, and helps run Pegula's charitable foundation, A Lending Paw.
It was a light-hearted, humorous moment for the world number six Pegula to shake off the disappointment after losing her first Grand Slam final appearance.
Sabalenka was considered the favorite to win the year's final Grand Slam tournament in Flushing, but the Belarusian was looking to get revenge after losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 women's final.
Sabalenka started well, winning five straight games to take the first set.
Still, Pegula never fully flinched, taking a 3-0 lead in the deciding set and then holding a 5-3 lead to force a third set.
But Sabalenka regained her composure and won.
