Fresh off winning the WTA 1000 title at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, Jessica Pegula has commenced her BNP Paribas Open campaign with a thrilling win over Donna Vekić in the second round. The victory was far from straightforward, as the American had to dig deep after losing the opening set, eventually rallying to claim a hard-fought 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph. She later cheekily suggested that Vekić was partly to blame for her level of play, divulging how her opponent proved to be a major distraction during the match.
What Did Jessica Pegula Say About Donna Vekić’s Jewelry?
During her on-court interview at Indian Wells, Jessica Pegula spoke highly of Donna Vekić’s friendly nature but claimed that the Croatian had been “blinding” her with her dazzling diamond necklace, which was on display during the pair’s warm embrace at the net. The World No. 5 also quipped that she found it very distracting how perfectly Vekić’s green-and-white outfit matched the scoreboard.
“She’s great, though. Love Donna. She’s super nice, super friendly. She was blinding me a little bit with her diamonds. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t make a ball for a while. She’s blinged out to the max. She also matched the scoreboard with her outfit and the jewelry. It was really throwing me off,” Pegula said.
The No. 5 seed survives the early test 📝
Pegula moves on to the third round with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Vekic ✅#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/5klWkQPYF7
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) March 8, 2026
Pegula later reflected on the tough contest during her post-match press conference, disclosing what she was thinking at the time. The American admitted the prospect of losing had crossed her mind, but she was able to overcome the panic because she had faith in her ability to turn such difficult situations around.
“I was thinking about, wow, this would not be great if I lose. I was like, well, maybe I can get out of the sponsor thing I have to do tomorrow. My brain is kind of going, and I think I’ve played so many matches and had some really good three-set matches lately where I also was like pretty comfortable knowing that I could turn it around,” Jessica Pegula said. “Yeah, I think I’m just comfortable in those situations. There’s always a little bit of panic, but at the same time, I have been dealing with those matches for a while, and maybe not as much panic as it used to be.”
Up next, the 32-year-old will take on Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, following the Latvian’s 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Katie Volynets. While Pegula holds a 3-2 lead in their head-to-head record, Ostapenko claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory in their most recent encounter at the 2023 China Open.
If Jessica Pegula triumphs over Ostapenko, she will face the winner between Belinda Bencic and Elise Mertens in the fourth round. The World No. 5 could then come up against Madison Keys or Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
