Jessica Pegula has once again found herself facing playful accusations of “ghosting” fellow competitors during the WTA Finals, and those were casually thrown her way by world No. 2 Iga Świątek, compatriots Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova. The American recently addressed the chatter with her own light-hearted explanation.
Jessica Pegula Responds to Iga Świątek, Coco Gauff, and Amanda Anisimova’s Ghosting Allegations
Pegula opened her WTA Finals campaign with a gripping all-American clash against world No. 3 Coco Gauff. The 31-year-old seized early control and won the opening set 6-3. Gauff fought hard to stay alive, pushing the second set to a tiebreak, which she eventually won 7-6(4). However, her 58 unforced errors in the match proved costly, while Pegula dominated the decider 6-2 and made a strong start to her campaign.
Anisimova and Świątek now find themselves in a must-win situation at the WTA Finals. Świątek opened her campaign with a victory over Madison Keys but stumbled against Elena Rybakina in her second outing. Anisimova experienced the reverse, falling to Rybakina before bouncing back against Keys. Their clash on Wednesday will therefore decide who will fill another semifinal spot.
Amanda Anisimova, Coco Gauff, and Iga Świątek each appeared in light-hearted Tennis Channel segments this week, where they jokingly accused Jessica Pegula of ignoring their messages. Pegula has now cleared the air, explaining her side of the story in a recent chat with Tennis Channel.
“Even Iga, I respond that’s not right. Amanda, she message me and she is like ‘ I am so sorry, I was just so tired. I didn’t mean to call you out.’ I was like dude, it’s not that serious. I don’t really care. But Coco wasn’t wrong she said she’ll let it go in 2026, though,” she said.
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This wasn’t the first time Pegula has faced those playful accusations. Earlier this year at the Canadian Open, her close friend Gauff also jokingly called her out in a WTA segment for not responding promptly.
“I am in a relationship, but actually, doubles partner I would couple up with Jessica Pegula. I have played with her and we had a good time. Even though she ditches me a lot, we are supposed to go to movies and stuff, she doesn’t ever respond to my text. But I believe, it’s second, third, fourth, fifth chances, so maybe the sixth time is a charm with her,” she said.
Pegula has made a strong start to her WTA Finals campaign and will now aim to build on that momentum against Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian has long controlled their rivalry, holding a commanding 8-3 lead in their head-to-head.