Jessica Pegula didn't believe reaching theWTA Finals was possible just two months ago but then she pulled off what she described as "magic" and now she is in a great position to make the prestigious season-ending tournament for a third year in a row.
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After struggling with multiple injuries in the first part of the season and having a pretty rough year overall, the American managed to win her first title of the year on the grass courts of Berlin after being forced to miss the French Open. But then disappointingly, her tough year continued when she picked up a shock Wimbledon second-round exit and that led to more doubts and anxiety.
Due to her form, there wasn't much talk about Pegula going into the North American hard-court swing. But soon after it started, she started being noticed again after winning the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto. However, that was just the start as the 30-year-old also finished as runner-up in Cincinnati and also reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open.
After gaining the most points during summer on hard courts, the American improved to 4,466 points collected in 2024 and she is now fifth on the Race to the WTA Finals list. Basically and literally, she won more points in those three tournaments than she did combined in all of the tournaments played earlier this year.
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Theres no shot of making the year-end finals. Im going to have to win a major, and multiple 1000s," Pegula recalled thinking in an interview with the WTA website.
Pegula: There were a lot of doubts...
At the start of the year, the current world No. 3 lost early at the Australian Open and later skipped the Middle East swing because of a neck injury. Then, she also contracted a rib issue that didn't allow her to compete at the French Open.
While the American has been one of the best and most consistent players on the Tour over the last few years, everything that happened this year made her feel doubts and anxiety.
"I know it was always possible, you can get hot, but that wasnt necessarily on my radar. Obviously, there were a lot of doubts. But I trusted that the work I was doing and the mentality would come back. I think at the end of the day I decided to try and trust the process, trust the training. Just because I missed half the year doesnt mean I forgot how to play at a top level. Theres so many things Im really proud of," Pegula explained.
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Pegula shut up her critics but still has certain regrets
As mentioned above, the reigning Toronto champion has been consistently making deep runs in the biggest tournaments for the last couple of years. But there was one thing that her critics and doubters often used against her - she just wasn't managing to make it past a Grand Slam quarterfinal stage.
Entering this year's US Open, she was 0-6 in that particular stage of a Major. And after she reached the last-eight at Flushing Meadows but had to play world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, some were openly doubting that she could win. But the American did exactly that, upsetting the top-seeded Pole 6-2 6-4 to reach her first Major semifinal and then also her first final.
In the final, Pegula had another extremely difficult task as she was slated to play Aryna Sabalenka, who had already been to three Major finals. The American didn't embarrass herself as she competed extremely well but it was the second-seeded Belarusian who scraped past with a 7-5 7-5 win.
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Now, the 30-year-old admits when everything soaked in, she initially felt a bit disappointed knowing that she fell just one win away from a Slam champion
Wow, you were so close to calling yourself a champion and now youre calling yourself a finalist. And that kind of sucks. But at the same time, I broke through a lot of barriers. After being upset for a couple of days, you come to the conclusion -- everyone talking to you about it and telling you, `No, it was a really great match,'" she said.
In the second set, Pegula was 5-3 up before dropping the next four games and ultimately the match. But when asked if the nerves were to blame for that, the world No. 3 didn't agree.
"Today I felt pretty good, I wasn't nervous. I felt I was ready. Perhaps that changes once you enter the match, but I didn't feel nervous. I think I handled the moment pretty well, besides not being ahead," the American underlined after the final.
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Meanwhile, Pegula is playing at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing this week, where she started with a win over Diane Parry.
