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Sunday night saw Jessica Pegula lift her first-ever WTA 1000 title as she defeated Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in just one hour and 10 minutes in the Guadalajara Open title clash.
In the process, the 28-year-old American also achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 3, with a win-loss record of 41-17 this year. Having turned pro in 2009, it was only her second singles title since the 2019 Washington Open.
In a press conference after the match, Pegula was asked if her next target would be winning Grand Slam tournaments. She was quick to respond positively but also joked that she would have to avoid playing against World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
"Yeah, I hope so. That's the next step, right? Hopefully, as long as I don't play Iga in the quarterfinals. Hopefully I'll get there (laughs). I think it's (Guadalajara Open win) going to give me a lot of confidence going into the Grand Slams," Pegulal said.
The reason the new World No. 3 said this was because Swiatek stopped her in the quarterfinals of two Grand Slam events this year — the French and US Open. The Pole went on to win both tournaments to become a three-time Major champion.
In Sunday's final, third seed Pegula finished with 11 winners, compared to nine from fourth seed Sakkari. The American also broke her opponent a total of five times, while getting broken herself just once. Sakkari finished her rain-affected semifinal earlier in the day, where she won against Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic in straight sets.
On her way to the title, Pegula downed Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens, and Victoria Azarenka.
"My draw to get here was the toughest" - Jessica Pegula after winning Guadalajara Open
Reflecting on the Guadalajara Open final and winning her first WTA 1000 title in a post-match press conference, Jessica Pegula stated that she was a little annoyed when she saw her draw, which was the toughest among all the players. However, the 28-year-old was proud of herself for fighting and emerging victorious in the end.
"I'm glad I was able to work through all the tough conditions earlier in the week and to actually feel great today," Jessica Pegula said. "I'm so happy it was at a 1000 event. All the people I beat, my draw to get here, in my opinion, was honestly the toughest out of everybody. I was a little annoyed when I saw the draw come out. But the way I've been able to manage it throughout the whole week, handle my nerves and emotions, just super proud of myself."
