Jessica Pegula defeated Elina Svitolina in the final to win the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships. After the match, the trophy presentation took place in a manner that frustrated former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs.
Pegula entered the WTA 1000 hard court tournament in Dubai as the fourth seed, beginning her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She eliminated qualifier Varvara Gracheva, 16th seed Iva Jovic, 12th seed Clara Tauson, and second seed Amanda Anisimova to reach the final.
Rennae Stubbs Reacts to Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina’s Trophy Presentation at 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships
In the championship match, Pegula triumphed over seventh seed Svitolina with a scoreline of 6-2, 6-4 in just one hour and 12 minutes to win the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, claiming her fourth WTA 1000 title and her tenth career WTA Tour singles title.
Following the match, during the post-match trophy presentation, both Pegula and Svitolina were interviewed rather than allowed to express their feelings. This incident drew criticism from Stubbs, who took to social media to express her frustration, stating that tournaments should allow players to speak at the microphone rather than being asked questions, which she finds “crazy.”
“When are these tournaments going to just let the winner and runner-up speak at the microphone and not ask questions!! drives me crazy!! Let them thank their team, thank the sponsors, thank the crowd, etc. don’t ask questions. FFS,” Stubbs posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
When are these tournaments going to just let the winner and runner-up speak at the microphone and not ask questions!! drives me crazy!! Let them thank their team, thank the sponsors, thank the crowd, etc. don’t ask questions. FFS.
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) February 21, 2026
The Aussie mentioned that no player on tour prefers being interviewed over making a speech.
“As a former player in this situation i can tell u, there is not 1 player that prefers this! Because they don’t get to say what they want after busting their butts all week AND they might NOT understand the Q because of language barriers. This should always be about them, Period!” she continued.
As a former player in this situation i can tell u, there is not 1 player that prefers this! Because they don’t get to say what they want after busting their butts all week AND they might NOT understand the Q because of language barriers. This should always be about them, Period!
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) February 21, 2026
In response to a fan who suggested that players should simply take the microphone and ignore the interview questions, Stubbs said that players often do that, but that Pegula and Svitolina are both “very nice” and respected the interviewer.
“they usually do BUT these two are very nice and they respected the interviewer. But UGH,” Stubbs added.
they usually do BUT these two are very nice and they respected the interviewer. But UGH
— Rennae Stubbs ♈️ (@rennaestubbs) February 21, 2026
Looking ahead, Pegula is set to defend her title at the 2026 ATX Open, scheduled to take place from Feb. 23 to March 1, 2026. The matches will be held on outdoor hard courts at The Westwood Country Club in Austin, United States.
In addition to Pegula, players like Wang Xinyu, Peyton Stearns, Anna Bondár, Caty McNally, and Petra Marčinko, among others, will also compete at the WTA 250 hard-court tournament.
In 2025, the former World No. 3 won the ATX Open by defeating McCartney Kessler in the final, securing her seventh WTA Tour title. This year, she is the top seed and will begin her campaign against Rebecca Šramková in the first round, with the winner advancing to face either Dalma Gálfi or Wild Card Bianca Andreescu in the second round.
