World Tennis Magazine

Unique Tennis Perspectives

Jessica Pegula

Sabalenka Looking More And More Like The Queen Of Hard Courts

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BY JAMES BECK

Aryna Sabalenka will be even more difficult to handle on hard courts after winning her first U.S. Open title on Saturday. Watch out Australian Open and a possible Grand Slam No. 4 for Sabalenka.

She may be extending her domination of Melbourne Down Under in Novak Djokovic style after her march through Flushing Meadows. The powerful 6-0 Belarussian wasn’t perfect, but she played the key points without always going for broke in her normal style.

That was enough to hold off the sometimes brilliant play of Jessica Pegula. Sabalenka simply had too much firepower for the much smaller Pegula.

TURNING ON THE POWER IN THE CLUTCH

When it came time to win both sets, Sabalenka turned on her power, just as she had done  against Emma Navarro in the semifinals. Pegula played her heart out, but could not avoid the gloom of a 7-5, 7-5 loss in the championship match.

Sabalenka won the last two games of both sets against Pegula, then sprawled out on the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court, knowing she had just won $3.6 million.

At 26 years old, Sabalenka has plenty of time left in her career to make a habit of winning the hard court Grand Slams.

PEGULA’S BEST CHANCE FOR A GRAND SLAM

For Pegula, she is already in the 30-plus league, and this may have been her best chance to win a Grand Slam.

That’s a shame, considering Pegula’s superb game. She hit great 100-plus mph serves that twisted around the lines and gave Sabalenka a bundle of trouble, while mixing in wonderfully  well-placed sizzling forehands and backhands.

But Sabalenka came through at the end of each set, holding service in the 11th game of each set and then breaking Pegula’s service in the last game of each set.

SABALENKA TOO GOOD IN THE END

Overall, Sabalenka was too good and too powerful to lose this U.S. Open final, just as she had been against Navarro in the semifinals, especially at the finish line.

Sabalenka took just enough chances in the clutch to get the job done without having to go for too much and allowing either Pegula or Navarro to force a third set.

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award  for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Aryna Sabalenka receives her trophy after a women’s singles championship match at the 2024 US Open on Saturday, Sep. 7, 2024 in Flushing, NY. (Garrett Ellwood/USTA)

After Tricky Start, USA Blanks Belgium 4-0 In Billie Jean King Cup In Orlando

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Jessica Pegula clinched Billie Jean King Cup Qualifying victory for the third straight year on Saturday, sending the U.S. into the Finals with a 6-2, 6-0, singles triumph over Hanne Vandewinkel at the USTA National Campus. 

Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend capped the tie with a 6-2, 6-1, dead doubles win over Marie Benoit and Kimberley Zimmermann, giving captain Lindsay Davenport a clean sweep in her debut tie. 

The U.S. joins a 12-nation Finals field of defending champions Canada, runners-up Italy, host nation Spain, wild card Czechia and fellow Qualifiers Australia, Switzerland, Great Britain, Japan, Slovakia and the winners of Ukraine-Romania and Brazil-Germany. The Finals will be played in November in Seville, Spain, with specific dates to be announced. 

On Friday in the opening day of play, it took two come-from-behind victories over four-and-a-half hours on court, but Pegula and Emma Navarro gutted out two, comeback three set matches.

Pegula and Navarro each outlasted spirited efforts from their young and talented Belgian counterparts, each coming from a set down to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead.

The world No. 5 Pegula defeated 19-year-old Sofia Costoulas, a former world junior No. 2 now ranked No. 279 in the WTA rankings, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, in Friday night’s first singles match. Navarro, making her Billie Jean King Cup debut, also came back from losing the first set to defeat Hanne Vandewinkel, also 19 and ranked No. 278, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Emma Navarro and US Captain Lindsay Davenport

Ons Jabeur, Jessica Pegula Lead Top 4 Seeds Into Charleston Semifinals

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BY JAMES BECK

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Top seed Jessica Pegula has done it again to make the “final four” of the Charleston Open.

But so did No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur, No. 3 Daria Kasatkina and No. 4 Belinda Bencic. That’s right. The top four seeds in the WTA Tour event all advanced on Friday to Saturday’s semifinals on Daniel Island.

The only one that didn’t wrap up the berths in straight set was former champion Kasatkina, a 25-year-old Russian who has climbed back to No. 8 in the world. She wore down another former champion, Madison Keys, 5-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2, with a variety of shots that kept Keys out of synch with her awesome power at times.

PEGULA CAME CLOSE TO THREE AGAIN

Pegula, the world’s No. 3 player who had rallied back from a 4-0 third-set deficit a day earlier to win six straight games against Irina-Camelia Begu, came close to a another third set this time.

But talented Spaniard Paula Badosa helped Pegula out with a pair of mistakes on the last two points of Friday night’s match to allow Pegula to escape with a 6-3, 7-6 (6) victory.

The always patient and under control Pegula was cruising with a 5-3 lead in the second set when Badosa suddenly discovered her game to win three straight games to force Pegula to hold service in the 12th game to force a tiebreaker.

BADOSA ERRED ON THE LAST TWO POINTS

With the score at 6-6 in the 12-point tiebreaker, Badosa went for too much with a forehand and then netted a backhand to end the match.

Pegula had been all business all the way, showing no emotion while committing few errors, playing great defense and stepping inside the court to hit winners. She had won five straight games at 3-3 to finish off the first set and take a 2-0 lead in the second set.

But Badosa was too talented to let Pegula off the hook that easily. The 5-11, 25-year-old was going to lose, but she didn’t want to without a fight.

“She made me earn it in the end,” Pegula said. “The conditions started getting really tricky. I know there’s some rain coming, so I’m glad I was able to get through that, especially in straight sets.”

MATCH ALMOST BLEW AWAY

“I was serving at 1-0 in the second set, and all of a sudden the wind just shifted going this way, and it dropped like 10 degrees,” Pegula said.

“It was crazy. You could just feel it kind of in the air, so I kind of looked at my coach, like okay, I need to hold, because you never know what’s going to happen in the conditions. I was playing really well and it got tricky there.”

Pegula next goes against Bencic, the 26-year-old defending champion who made quick work of Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova for a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals.

Bencic is a solid player who doesn’t waste many strokes or much time, but has all of the shots and seems to control the court with her instincts and excellent movement.

BENCIC TOUGH MATCHUP FOR PEGULA

“Belinda is really tough,” Pegula said. “She’s a really tough matchup for me. I haven’t played her in awhile, but I think I’ve improved a lot since the last time I played her.

“We play kind of similar, hit kind of low flat, take it early, and she tends to kind of feed off my pace and like how I play. She’s obviously very confident right now, defending champ, and it’s going to be really tough.”

Bencic, a 5-9, 26-year-old Swiss player, also has great respect for Pegula’s game.

“I feel like Jess is very consistent. I feel like she does anything with the ball,” Bencic said. “She redirects very well, and you always feel like she’s not even moving, but still she makes it very effortless.”

JABEUR HAD THE EASIEST DAY

Perhaps, the fifth-ranked Jabeur, the 2022 runner-up here as well as a Wimbledon and U.S. Open runner-up, had the easiest time on Friday. Anna Kalinskaya won only one game before taking a 6-0, 4-1 retirement against Jabeur.

Tunisia’s Jabeur will oppose Kasatkina in Saturday’s semifinals. “We’ve (Kasatkina) had a lot of three-setters together. It’s going to be definitely a physical match,” Jabeur said.

“She’s someone that loves clay. She’s someone that her game suits clay a lot. I think the key tomorrow probably will be patience.”

Looking ahead to possibly rainy weather, Jabeur said, “It’s definitely going to be tricky. It depends how it’s going to rain, if it’s the whole day, if you go in and out the whole time. For me, the most important thing, I will try to use the conditions to my benefit.”

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award as the tennis columnist for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier newspapers. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Ons Jabeur

Jessica Pegula Pulls Out Amazing Victory In Charleston

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BY JAMES BECK

CHARLESTON, S.C. – How did Jessie Pegula do it?

Win six straight games after losing 10 consecutive games, that’s all.

That’s what No. 1 seeds do, right?

Not too often.

PEGULA PULLED A MIRACLE

But that’s what the top-seeded Pegula did Friday afternoon to hand Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 setback in the Charleston Open.

“Both sides, both of us . . . for me to be up 4-0 (in the second set) and (her) win it. And then me  coming back (from 4-0 down in the third set). That’s tennis,” Pegula said.

 “She’s a great player. I know she likes clay. I was prepared for a tough match. I didn’t think it was going to be swinging back and forth like that.”

‘IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER’

Pegula’s collapse in the second set after charging out to a set and a 4-0 advantage came after “we switched balls. I was off a little bit. I played two sloppy games, and she was swinging because she was down 4-0. Like ‘What does it matter to me?’ That happens a lot,” Pegula said.

“I’ve had some crazy matches this year. It’s not over until it’s over. But it (the match) just swings back and forth. It was definitely insane.

“It seems like every tournament I’m playing one crazy match. So far, I’m coming out on the winning side.”

That’s obvious from her world’s No. 3 ranking.

“I told myself, (when she was behind 4-0 in the third set), ‘All I need is one game, maybe a double fault.’ And she did. I got up to 4-1, then I said, ‘I’ve got to hold’ . . . and I did. Then I actually started playing pretty well.”

PEGULA LOOKING LIKE A STAR

The 29-year-old Pegula is looking more and more like she belongs at or near the top of the WTA Tour. She’s usually incredibly consistent, although she also can play an aggressive style of tennis with her solid athletic ability.

The daughter of Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula trained in Charleston for a couple of years in her early years as a pro. She also spent much of her younger years training at Hilton Head Island.

ROGERS’ GOOD LUCK ENDS

 Pegula’s rally against Begu was similar to Charleston’s Shelby Rogers rally from a set and a 5-3 deficit in the second set to even nearly a three-hour second-round match against Caty McNally on Wednesday night. Rogers then extended her streak to six games with a 2-0 start in the third set to set the stage for a 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 victory before a late-night crowd of Rogers fans.

Rogers had the tables turned Thursday night after taking the first set from defending champion Belinda Bencic, only to struggle in the third set probably due to Rogers’ long, late-night finish against McNally. Playing her third straight three-set match, Rogers suffered a 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 loss to Bencic, who advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals.

Bencic displayed a crafty, smooth game on the green clay, mixing in a serve that hit most of the spots. Switzerland’s latest Swiss Miss (remember Martina Hingis?)  played smart and  almost flawless tennis after losing the first set.

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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award as the tennis columnist for the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier newspapers. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Aaron Donald Sports Drink “Ready” To Sponsor Miami Open Tennis

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Ready® (@ready_nutrition), one of the fastest growing sports nutrition companies in America with co-owners NFL superstar Aaron Donald and world basketball icon Giannis Antetokounmpo, is making its mark in the tennis world, being named the Official Sports Drink of the Miami Open Tennis Tournament.

Ready® Athlete Jessica Pegula, America’s top ranked player and #3 in the world, will join fellow participants for one of the largest combined ATP/WTA combined tournaments in the world scheduled for March 19 – April 2 at Hard Rock Stadium.  The tournament sports a who’s who of past champions including Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic along with Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and the Williams sisters on the ladies’ side.

Ready® will use the high-profile exposure of the Open to highlight the launch of Ready® Light Sports Drink, its advanced, science-based beverage designed to optimize hydration replenishment and energy production.

The partnership follows Ready’s® signing of Pegula last August as a Ready® Athlete to represent both the brand’s products and provide a shining example of the  unique goal achievement and perseverance mentality that is an integral part of the brand’s messaging and Pegula’s career.

Ready’s® sponsorship assets include product integration (sports drink, protein bars and powder) in player and recovery areas for competitor use, court and video board signage, on court cooler placement,  product sampling, tournament social and digital branding, and commercial opportunities on the Tennis Channel’s coverage of the tournament reaching over 11 million viewers worldwide.  Ready® will premier Pegula’s first promotional spot for the brand on the telecast.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be chosen as a partner with such a prestigious tournament featuring players from all over the world,” said Ready® Founder and CEO Pat Cavanaugh.  “We’re especially looking forward to our best-in-class products being available to help fuel the players and assist them in their recovery.”

About Ready®

Ready® was founded in 2012 by former University of Pittsburgh basketball team captain, Pat Cavanaugh. The company’s all-natural portfolio includes its super fruit-based sports drinks, protein bars, protein water, plant based functional snacks and protein powder.  Its products are currently available in over 25,000 retail outlets including Walmart, Costco, Dollar Tree, Whole Foods, Publix, Food Lion and Giant Eagle.  Over 200 college and university athletic programs have provided their student-athletes with Ready® products with the brand currently being the Official Protein of UCLA Athletics and Official Sports Drink of Gonzaga athletics and its nationally renowned basketball program.  The United States’ top ranked tennis player and #3-ranked in the world, Jessica Pegula, and NFL rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett have joined the Brand as Ready® Athletes.  Ready® is also the Official Sports Drink of The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The Brand has committed to a major funding partnership with the Susan G. Komen organization for 2023.