Jessica Pegula facts for kids
![]() Pegula at the 2019 French Open
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Country (sports) | ![]() |
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Residence | Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
Born | Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
February 24, 1994
Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
Turned pro | 2009 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Coach | Mark Knowles, Mark Merklein (2024–) |
Prize money | US$ 16,570,051
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Singles | |
Career record | 434–248 (63.64%) |
Career titles | 6 |
Highest ranking | No. 3 (October 24, 2022) |
Current ranking | No. 6 (January 13, 2025) |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | QF (2021, 2022, 2023) |
French Open | QF (2022) |
Wimbledon | QF (2023) |
US Open | F (2024) |
Other tournaments | |
Tour Finals | F (2023) |
Olympic Games | 2R (2024) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 232–140 (62.37%) |
Career titles | 7 |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (September 11, 2023) |
Current ranking | No. 48 (December 30, 2024) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | SF (2023) |
French Open | F (2022) |
Wimbledon | QF (2024) |
US Open | QF (2023) |
Other doubles tournaments | |
Tour Finals | RR (2022, 2023) |
Olympic Games | QF (2021) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2022, 2023) |
French Open | 1R (2022, 2023) |
Wimbledon | 1R (2021) |
US Open | F (2023) |
Jessica Pegula (born February 24, 1994) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles and world No. 1 in doubles. Jessica reached the final of a major tournament, the US Open, and also the final of the WTA Finals.
In doubles, she made it to the final of the French Open with Coco Gauff. She also reached the mixed doubles final at the US Open with Austin Krajicek.
Jessica has won six singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes three big WTA 1000 titles in singles and two in doubles. She has reached the quarterfinals at all four major tournaments (Grand Slams) seven times! This includes the Australian Open (three times), US Open (twice), French Open (once), and Wimbledon (once). In 2023, she helped Team USA win the first-ever United Cup tournament.
Contents
About Jessica Pegula
Early Life and Family
Jessica Pegula was born on February 24, 1994, in Buffalo, New York. Her parents are Terry and Kim Pegula. They own several sports teams, including the Buffalo Bills (NFL) and the Buffalo Sabres (NHL). Jessica's mother was born in Seoul, South Korea, so Jessica is partly of Korean descent. She has four siblings.
Starting Her Tennis Career
Jessica became a professional tennis player in 2009. She started her career by playing in smaller tournaments.
First Major Tournament Appearances (2011-2015)
In 2011, Jessica got a special entry (a wildcard) into the US Open doubles tournament. She and her partner, Taylor Townsend, made it to the third round.
In 2015, Jessica played in the main singles draw of a major tournament for the first time at the US Open. She won her first match there before losing in the second round.
Reaching Her First Final (2018)
In 2018, Jessica reached her first singles final on the WTA Tour. This happened at the Tournoi de Québec in Canada. She played very well but lost in the final. This helped her ranking improve a lot.
First WTA Title and Top 100 (2019)
Jessica broke into the top 100 tennis players in the world for the first time in 2019. This allowed her to play in bigger tournaments.
Her biggest win came at the Washington Open. She won her first WTA singles title there, which was a huge achievement! This pushed her ranking even higher, to world No. 55.
Auckland Open Final (2020)
At the start of 2020, Jessica reached the final of the Auckland Open. She played against the legendary Serena Williams but lost the match. Later that year, she reached the third round of the US Open, her best result at a major tournament at that time.
Rising Through the Ranks
First Major Quarterfinal (2021)
Jessica had a fantastic start to 2021 at the Australian Open. She defeated several top players, including former champions, to reach her first major quarterfinal. This amazing performance helped her enter the top 50 players in the world.
She continued to play well throughout 2021, reaching semifinals and quarterfinals at many big tournaments. She even beat world No. 2, Naomi Osaka, at the Italian Open. By the end of the year, she was ranked in the top 20.
First WTA 1000 Title and World No. 3 (2022)
The year 2022 was a breakthrough for Jessica. She won her first doubles title in Melbourne. Then, she won her first WTA 1000 doubles title with Coco Gauff in Doha.
Jessica reached her second straight quarterfinal at the Australian Open. She also made it to her first WTA 1000 singles final at the Madrid Open.
At the French Open, she reached the quarterfinals in singles and her first major final in doubles with Coco Gauff. After Wimbledon, she became the top-ranked American player.
Jessica won her biggest singles title at the Guadalajara Open, a WTA 1000 event. This win helped her reach a career-high ranking of world No. 3 in singles. She also qualified for the 2022 WTA Finals in both singles and doubles.
World No. 1 in Doubles and United Cup Champion (2023)
Jessica started 2023 by helping Team USA win the first-ever United Cup. She had a huge win over world No. 1, Iga Świątek, during this event.
She reached her third straight quarterfinal at the Australian Open. In doubles, she and Coco Gauff made it to the semifinals.
Jessica continued to have great results in 2023. She defended her doubles title in Qatar with Coco Gauff. They also won another WTA 1000 doubles title in Miami.

At Wimbledon, she reached the quarterfinals, meaning she had made the quarterfinals at all four major tournaments. In August, she won her second WTA 1000 singles title at the Canadian Open.
After the US Open, Jessica became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time! She also reached the mixed doubles final at the US Open.
At the 2023 WTA Finals, she had an amazing run. She won all her group matches, beating top players including the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka. She reached the final of the tournament, her biggest singles final yet, but lost to Iga Świątek.
Consecutive Canadian Title and US Open Final (2024)
In 2024, Jessica won her fifth singles title at the Berlin Ladies Open. She then successfully defended her title at the Canadian Open in Toronto, winning it for the second year in a row.
Jessica reached another WTA 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open. Her biggest achievement of the year came at the US Open. She reached her first-ever Grand Slam singles final, defeating world No. 1 Iga Świątek in the semifinals. She played a tough match in the final but lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
Personal Life
In 2016, Jessica and her sister Kelly started a restaurant called Healthy Scratch. They also had a food truck. While they had several locations, they eventually closed them all by 2022. In 2017, Jessica also launched her own skin-care brand called Ready 24. In 2021, Jessica married Taylor Gahagen.
Career Statistics
Grand Slam Performance Timelines
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | P | Z# | PO | G | F-S | SF-B | NMS | NH |
Singles
Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | Q1 | A | A | Q2 | A | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | QF | 2R | 3R | 0 / 6 | 15–6 | 71% |
French Open | A | A | Q2 | A | Q3 | Q1 | A | A | 1R | 1R | 3R | QF | 3R | A | 0 / 5 | 8–5 | 62% | |
Wimbledon | A | A | Q1 | A | Q3 | Q2 | A | A | 1R | NH | 2R | 3R | QF | 2R | 0 / 5 | 8–5 | 62% | |
US Open | Q2 | Q2 | A | A | 2R | 1R | Q1 | Q3 | 1R | 3R | 3R | QF | 4R | F | 0 / 8 | 18–8 | 69% | |
Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 9–4 | 14–4 | 13–4 | 8–3 | 2–1 | 0 / 24 | 49–24 | 67% |
Doubles
Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | ... | 2015 | 2016 | ... | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | A | A | A | A | 2R | 1R | 2R | SF | A | A | 0 / 4 | 6–4 | 60% | ||
French Open | A | A | A | A | 3R | QF | 2R | F | SF | A | 0 / 5 | 15–5 | 75% | |||
Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | 1R | NH | 3R | A | 3R | QF | 0 / 4 | 7–4 | 64% | |||
US Open | 3R | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 2R | 1R | 1R | QF | A | 0 / 9 | 7–9 | 44% | |||
Win–loss | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 6–3 | 13–4 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0 / 22 | 35–22 | 61% |
Grand Slam Tournament Finals
Women's Singles: 1 (Runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
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Loss | 2024 | US Open | Hard | ![]() |
5–7, 5–7 |
Women's Doubles: 1 (Runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
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Loss | 2022 | French Open | Clay | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
6–2, 3–6, 2–6 |
Mixed Doubles: 1 (Runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
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Loss | 2023 | US Open | Hard | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
3–6, 4–6 |
Other Important Finals
Year-End Championships
Singles: 1 (Runner-up)
Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 2023 | WTA Finals, Mexico | Hard | ![]() |
1–6, 0–6 |
World TeamTennis
Jessica Pegula joined World TeamTennis in 2020, playing for the Orlando Storm. She was one of the best players that season. She had a great record in singles matches, helping her team reach the playoffs.
See also
In Spanish: Jessica Pegula para niños