Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula joined an elite list of tennis players on Wednesday, February 18, with their wins at the Dubai WTA 1000 tournament. The third seed defeated Belgian Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals, while the fourth seed defeated fellow American Iva Jovic in her round of 16 match. With their wins, both players made history, joining Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Madison Keys in a historic feat.
Gauff, her mother, Candi, and Pegula celebrated this win, sharing their reactions on social media.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula Create History, Join Serena Williams and Others
Gauff defeated Mertens 2-6, 7-6(9), 6-3 in the round of 16 match on Wednesday, February 18, to reach the quarterfinals. Similarly, Pegula bested the American teenager Jovic 6-4, 6-2 in her round of 16 match to secure her quarterfinal berth. However, what seemed like routine wins for the second and third-ranked Americans turned out to be historic.
These round of 16 wins of Gauff and Pegula marked their 100th win at the WTA 1000 level in their career. With a triple-digit win count at this level, they have now joined legendary names such as Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and 2025 Australian Open champion, and their good friend, Madison Keys. Now, five American women have achieved this feat at one of the grandest levels of women’s tennis.
To celebrate this special moment, Pegula and Gauff shared an Instagram post from the WTA and the DDF Tennis Championships‘ official accounts in their stories, while Gauff’s mother, Candi, proudly reshared her daughter’s story.
Interestingly, both players have also won equal numbers of WTA 1000 tournaments, tied at three, with Pegula winning Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023, and Montreal 2024, whereas Gauff has won Cincinnati 2023, China Open 2024, and Wuhan 2025, with the World No. 4 defeating the World No. 5 in the championship match of the latter.
Gauff and Pegula’s Quarterfinal Clashes
Gauff will lock horns with the Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala on Thursday, February 19, whereas Pegula will take on the 12th seed Clara Tauson to reach the semifinals. Both players delivered dominant, resilient performances in their round-of-16 matches and are expected to cruise past their QF opponents.
Gauff saved three match points against Mertens in the tiebreak of the second set to force a decider to keep her campaign alive. Pegula, on the other hand, dominated her opponent Jovic from the beginning, taking the match in just 78 minutes.
MORE: Alexandra Eala Reveals What She Thinks of Coco Gauff Ahead of Their Dubai QF Battle
If Gauff manages to overcome her opponent in front of the vocal Filipino crowd, she will most likely face the seventh seed, Elina Svitolina, in the semifinals, marking a rematch of the 2026 Australian Open quarterfinal, where the Ukrainian won.
Similarly, if Pegula wins, she will face either the fifth seed Mirra Andreeva or the second seed Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals. The Dubai WTA 1000 tournament has been hit by several withdrawals and retirements, including those of the top two women in the world, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, who withdrew two days before the tournament. The subsequent top seed, Elena Rybakina, retired from her round of 16 match against Croatian lucky loser Antonia Ružić.
Concerns are high about the WTA calendar, as 25 of the original 43 players who entered the main draw have already withdrawn or retired. To address the overcrowded women’s schedule, the WTA announced the formation of a Tour Architecture Council, chaired by Pegula herself, to adjust the overall structure of the WTA Calendar.
