Jessica Pegula recently shared her thoughts on multiple women’s singles title winners at the US Open and what made the tournament “more open”. Last year, the World No. 4 finished as the runner-up at the Grand Slam, losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
In preparation for the New York Major, Pegula competed in three hard-court tournaments: the Citi DC Open, the Canadian Open, and the Cincinnati Open. In Washington, D.C., she was eliminated in the second round by eventual champion Leylah Fernandez. In Montreal and Cincinnati, she lost in the third round to Anastasija Sevastova and Magda Linette, respectively.
What Did Jessica Pegula Say About US Open’s Lack of Consistent Women’s Singles Title Winners?
The 2025 US Open will take place from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. Ahead of beginning her singles campaign at the tournament, while speaking to the press, she was asked why there has not been a consistent women’s singles winner at Flushing Meadows.
In response, Pegula noted that since there are numerous hard-court tournaments throughout the year, many players fancy their chances of winning the trophy. She pointed out that winning the US Open does not require a specialist hard-court player, unlike winning titles on grass or clay courts, which typically necessitate specialized skills.
“I don’t know why that is, because it’s, like, we have so many hard court tournaments. But I think going in, everyone is always excited that they have a chance to win. I don’t think it takes a super kind of specialist in this. Like grass, you see people that are really good on grass or really good on clay. Here it seems like statistically you don’t really have that as much,” Pegula said.
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The World No. 4 also stated that players tend to perform well at the US Open due to the strong support they receive from fans in attendance.
“I think it just makes it much more open. I think we have seen a lot of those stories over the years on the men’s and women’s side where the crowd gets behind somebody, or like Medvedev when he flipped the crowd that one year,” she continued.
Pegula mentioned that the crowd encouragement at the US Open is unique compared to other Grand Slam events.
“There are so many storylines I think of the crowd kind of taking people and carrying them through in whatever way you kind of embrace them. I don’t think you get that at the other slams, so I think maybe that’s also a factor,” Pegula added.
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Before beginning her singles campaign, Pegula participated in the mixed doubles event at the 2025 US Open alongside Jack Draper. They were the top seeds and defeated Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz in the first round. They then advanced past Daniil Medvedev and Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals but were eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual runners-up, the third-seeded duo of Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud.
MORE: 5 Women’s Players With No Grand Slam Who Could Be Dangerous at US Open, Including Jessica Pegula
Who Will Pegula Face at the 2025 US Open 1R?
Pegula, who is seeded fourth, will aim to improve on her runner-up finish from last year at the 2025 US Open. She will begin her campaign by facing Mayar Sherif in the first round. The Egyptian is returning to the Tour after a month off due to an injury.
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Sherif last competed at the 2025 Palermo Ladies Open, where she was the top seed. The Egyptian started the tournament by defeating lucky loser Ángela Fita Boluda in the first round, winning with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-4. Her second round opponent, Hanne Vandewinkel, advanced to the quarterfinals by walkover after she withdrew from the WTA 125 tournament due to a neck injury.
Pegula and Sherif have never faced each other on the WTA Tour, and their upcoming first-round match at Flushing Meadows will mark the first time that these two players will go up against one another. The winner between the two players will advance to face either Yuliia Starodubtseva or Anna Blinkova in the second round of the US Open.
