Jessica Pegula wins Dubai title, capping dominant week for U.S. women
After reaching the semifinals or better at seven consecutive tournaments dating back to the US Open, Jessica Pegula broke through to win the title in Dubai on Saturday. Her 10th title, and her fourth at the WTA 1000 level, capped another brilliant week for America's top women's talent at large.
Pegula was joined in the semifinals by compatriots Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova, with that trio of Top 10 stars living up to their billing in the WTA rankings—where world No. 4 Gauff is immediately followed by Pegula and Anisimova. All three also made the Australian Open quarterfinals last month, along with world No. 18 Iva Jovic.
Pegula defeated Anisimova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, in the semis before claiming the title with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Elina Svitolina in the final. Just two days before her 32nd birthday, Pegula became the third American to win Dubai after Lindsay Davenport and three-time champ Venus Williams.
"I can't ask for much more. The last six months I've been playing some really good tennis," Pegula said. "I made seven consecutive semifinals and I was like, 'You know what, a title would be nice, maybe it will happen this week,' and it did."
In her first tournament since the Australian Open, Pegula also beat Jovic in the third round. Combined with her win against Anisimova, she has now won 16 of her last 17 matches against fellow Americans; she owns a 54-16 overall record against her countrywomen.
While she enjoys a friendly rivalry with players from the U.S., Pegula is proud to be part of such a strong era for her home nation.
Jessica Pegula advanced to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time. Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images.
"Our depth in the U.S. is pretty crazy right now. I feel like every time I go deep, there's multiple Americans that are there, especially now that we have Coco and Amanda doing so well," she said after claiming the title. "It's been incredible. I'm glad that I've been able to be a part of this era."
Pegula credited the competitive environment within the American ranks for pushing the group to new heights, and also noted her position as a role model for young players like the 18-year-old Jovic, who are hoping to continue the trend.
"There's a lot of young ones like Iva that are coming up, which I'm way older than, which is really depressing," she said with a smile. "It's an honor that I've been able to be one of the top ones representing my country at BJK Cup and the Olympics as well, and be hopefully somewhat of a role model for the next crop that's coming up."
Pegula was scheduled to compete on home soil in Austin this week, but was forced to withdraw from what would have been a title defense with a knee injury.
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