Jessica Pegula has secured her spot as the fourth American semifinalist at this year’s US Open in the singles category, further solidifying her status as one of the top players from the United States. This achievement could be a turning point in her career, as she looks set to make a deep run in her home country’s Grand Slam.
Born and raised in New York, Pegula has a very special and emotional connect with the city. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is one person who is extremely proud of her journey and couldn’t resisting tweeting about it after Pegula won her quarter-final match.
Being a true-blue New Yorker herself, Hochul has often acknowledged the special place Pegula holds in the city’s heart. But interestingly, she goes way back to knowing the Pegula family well.
NEW YORK WOMEN LEAD! So proud of Western New York’s own Jessie Pegula who just defeated the top-ranked seed at the US Open and will play in her first ever major semifinal!
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 5, 2024
In 2022, Governor Hochul helped Pegula’s father, Terry Pegula, with an $850 million subsidy to build a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills. While the move was a controversial one, the idea behind it was to help boost the economy in the city and there is no better way to do so than sports.
The move significantly boosted the Pegula family fortune. According to the Buffalo News, Terry Pegula’s net worth jumped to $6.7 billion, a 17.5% increase from last year. And this is the reason why Jessica is known as the ‘billionaire’ heiress in the tennis community.
Pegula’s resurgence is important to bring back American tennis to its glory days. While the other ‘billionaire heiress’, Emma Navarro crashed out in the semifinals on Thursday evening, Pegula is the only American left in the women’s singles event.
If she defeats Karolina Muchova in the semifinals, she is set to take on the reigning Australian Open champion, Aryna Sabalenka in the finals on Saturday. This could perhaps be Pegula’s best chance of winning a Grand Slam, and doing it in her home city, would be quite a feat and matter of celebration.
