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Jessica Pegula has won the Korea Open, amid her mother's health problems. The American has received congratulatory messages from Coco Gauff, Victoria Azarenka, and others.
Pegula clinched the fourth WTA singles title of her career and her second title of the season by winning the final of the 2023 Hana Bank Korea Open. The World No. 4 defeated China's Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-3 in straight sets on Sunday, October 15.
Entering the WTS 250 event as the No.1 seed, Jessica Pegula breezed through the competition, only losing one set during the entire week. On her journey to the finals, she conquered Viktoria Hruncakova, Ashlyn Krueger, Claire Liu, and Yanina Wickmayer.
Jessica Pegula's victory in Seoul made her the first American to lift the trophy since Venus Williams in 2007. Pegula has won two titles in a season for the first time in her career, having also won the summer tournament in Montreal.
Pegula's victory against the 128th-ranked Yuan was her 53rd match win of the season. This has put her on par with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the second-highest number of wins on the Hologic WTA Tour, trailing only World No. 2 Iga Swiatek's impressive tally of 63 victories.
Following her victory, the 29-year-old shared a post on her Instagram where she opened up about her mom and her Korean roots.
“This one is extra special. I am half Korean. I don’t speak Korean and I am still learning about my culture (my mom was adopted and left on a doorstep of a Korean police station) but I have been overwhelmed by the support from Korean fans. My mom visited her orphanage here when I played this event 4 years ago," Pegula wrote.
"It was the first time she felt open about learning about her past. Her health struggles the past year made this tournament a goal to win. It has been such an honor to play in front of you. Hana Bank Open Champ," she added.
Many players on Instagram congratulated Jessica Pegula on her triumph in Seoul. Coco Gauff posted:
“Congrats Jess”.
Victoria Azarenka also shared a lovely message on her account.
“So special! Congrats Jessi! What a beautiful moment,” she wrote.
Compatriot Alycia Parks also took to her Instagram account, saying:
“Yesss Jess”
Madison Keys took pride in her compatriot's accomplishment.
“Proud of you Jess,” she shared.
Tennis influencer Rachel Stuhlmann also congratulated Jessica Pegula.
“Congrats Jess,” she posted.
Tennis player Asia Muhammad appreciated Pegula’s story and said:
“What a story? Amazing Jess!! Congrats!"
Another tennis player, Alison Riske-Amritraj was also touched by Pegula’s story.
“What a story,” she wrote.
Jessica Pegula talks about her 2022 US Open experience
As the top-ranked American player in the WTA, Jessica Pegula is making the most of her moment in the spotlight. She recently stressed that she has reached a point in her career where the pressure to prove herself is no longer overwhelming.
Then the top-ranked American tennis player, she admitted in a WTA Insider podcast called 'Champions Corner' that she felt pressure going into the US Open in 2022.
Her confidence, though, has been greatly strengthened by her victories at a couple of WTA 1000 tournaments. She recently shared that she has stopped feeling the need to prove herself and is instead concentrating on developing her innate skills.
"The US open was my first experience being a top-ranked American, all that stuff but yeah I would just say now, I feel a little bit more comfortable in that role. I have been winning for the past year now so I am doing pretty well, so I think you just get over it a little bit and you become more comfortable," Jessica Pegula said.
She went on to say that once you reach the pinnacle of your field, you no longer worry as much about losing your place. Being in the top 10 for the past year-and-a-half has relieved a lot of pressure for Pegula.
"I think you also hit that peak, so you don't really care as much, you be like, 'Okay I already did it, if it goes away, it's like okay. I accomplished that and I can get back there,' and that's how I feel as I have been in the top 10 in the last year or year-and-half, I am not tied to it so I don't feel a lot of pressure," Pegula said.
