Jessica Pegula had a dream run during the North American swing. Unfortunately, she was not able to cap off a dominant month-long display by winning the US Open 2024. However, the loss against Aryna Sabalenka didn’t seem to hurt her morale as much. While she was understandably disheartened, she left fans in splits after showcasing her sense of humor again.
Pegula played extremely well despite having a massive disadvantage against her opponent. The American broke Sabalenka’s serve four times during the 1-hour 53-minute battle but was unfortunate to even clinch a single set.
Following a double 7-5 loss, during the trophy presentation, the New York native got fans to burst into laughter with one of her comments. While chatting with ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez regarding Sabalenka’s dominant performance, the 30-year-old hilariously told the champion:
“I wish she would’ve at least let me get one set.”
Apart from the crowd present at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, enthusiasts from all around the world also reacted to this incident. Fans lauded the American No.2 for her positive reaction to a heartbreaking loss.
— @Lakeside (@Lakesid89719259) September 7, 2024
Jessica pegula got some great words for sabalenka
— Abhinav Akula (@abhinavshakes1) September 7, 2024
Crack
— Black Wings (@BlackWi72648303) September 7, 2024
While giving her champion’s speech, the Belarusian addressed this comment.
“In the 2nd set I was just praying there. And you’re talking about me giving you one set”.
Aryna Sabalenka after beating Jessica Pegula in the US Open final
“Oh my god. I’m speechless right now. So many times, I thought I was so close to winning this. It was a dream of mine. Finally I got this beautiful trophy.. it means a lot. It was a difficult couple of weeks. I… pic.twitter.com/cCJE2JSK9q
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 7, 2024
Pegula should be proud of her accomplishments as of late. After a humiliating outburst during the 2024 Olympics, she managed to flip the switch. Over the past month, she’s won the Canadian Open 2024 and finished as the runner-up in both of the USA-based tournaments – the Cincinnati Open 2024 and the US Open 2024.
Apart from the remaining Masters 1000 tournaments, Pegula will also be expected to keep up this impressive level of tennis during the WTA Finals that she will inevitably qualify for.
