Jessica Pegula still hasn’t forgotten about “Cotton Eye Joe.” It was three years ago, during the Canadian Open in Montreal, that one of the most bizarre moments in recent tennis history took place.
Deep in a tense second-set tiebreak during a semifinal between Pegula and the then-world No. 1 Iga Świątek, the match was suddenly interrupted by a stadium speaker playing the infamous high-energy dance song, “Cotton Eye Joe.” The umpire was forced to stop the match, leaving players, commentators, and fans in confusion. And Pegula doesn’t think it was an accident.
Jessica Pegula Demands ‘Proper Investigation’ Into “Cotton Eye Joe” Incident From 2023
During the latest episode of “The Player’s Box Podcast” alongside Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk, Pegula reflected on the viral moment, sharing a ‘conspiracy theory’ about how the song actually started playing.
“It was kind of a weird point. It was a crazy point. It was like an overhead and then a lob or something,” Pegula recalled on the podcast. “And “Cotton Eye Joe” just came on blasting in the stadium. I still feel like there was never a proper investigation.”
While tournament DJs typically use a set playlist of songs for changeovers and warm-ups throughout the week, Pegula is convinced this classic stadium anthem wasn’t part of the playlist. When Krawczyk joked that she might just have been too focused, Pegula quickly shut that down, believing it wasn’t an accident.
“No, I would have remembered “Cotton Eye Joe,” Pegula said. “It’s a very Canadian hockey game song. Why all of a sudden did it just come on?”
“Someone for sure dared somebody to do that, or paid to (do so),” she added. “Like, ‘I’ll give you a thousand bucks if you press this button and you play “Cotton Eye Joe” in the middle of the match.’ 100 percent. There has to be.”
Though Swiatek rallied to win that second set, Pegula recovered in the third set to seal the victory, 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4. The American also went on to win the tournament title, defeating Liudmila Samsonova in the final, 6–1, 6–0.
Back to the present, fresh off a rain-delayed final at the Mubadala DC Open, where she finished as the runner-up to 21-year-old Alexandra Eala, Pegula is having a strong 2026 season, with a world ranking of No. 3, and a 38-10 match record. Next up, she is set for another Canadian Open in Toronto, where the two-time champion is scheduled to open her campaign against Magdalena Frech.
