Considering the things that transpired over the past week, the talk of the town in women’s tennis at present has got to be Jessica Pegula. The 29-year-old American shocked the tennis world by lifting the recently concluded Canadian Open trophy – her 1st WTA singles title this year and 3rd overall. And along the way, she overcame challenges from a number of formidable opponents, including her longtime women’s doubles partner Coco Gauff. As Pegula looks to carry this momentum heading into the final grand slam of the year in New York, she has the backing of an American legend.

American tennis great Andy Roddick has heaped praises on the in-form Jessica Pegula in a recent podcast, and analyzed her chances of winning a major. What exactly did he have to say about Pegula’s recent heroics on the court?

Andy Roddick fancies Jessica Pegula’s chances of winning a major at the US Open

Jessica Pegula proved her mettle on the big stage as she clinched only her 2nd WTA 1000 title at the Canadian Open. She defeated her doubles partner Coco Gauff – a more decorated singles player, in the quarterfinals. Pegula then got the better of world number 1 Iga Swiatek in the semis, before earning a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory against Liudmila Samsonova in the finals. Former American great Andy Roddick assessed Pegula’s chances of emulating such a performance in a major. The 2003 US Open winner weighed in on why he feels the 29-year-old is a bit different from the other big names on the WTA tour today.

“You know, women have won a slam and then the search for consistency starts. Like Rybakina broke out at Wimbledon, we knew the upside, but then she figured out how to be consistent throughout. Iga Swiatek broke out at Roland Garros a couple years ago and then found the consistency afterwards, but Pegula had a consistency going into the Canadian Open,” he said in a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast. 

Roddick also feels that Pegula is now perfectly positioned to step up and rise to the occasion at the upcoming US Open. “What was missing is the big titles like the Masters 1000s, and now we have to seriously discuss her chances at a major. Can she get past that quarterfinal, kind of a jinx round, into the semis, into the finals?”, he added.

Jessica Pegula’s doubles partner Coco Gauff, who is 10 years younger than her, isn’t trailing far behind as far as the current run of form is concerned. Let’s have a closer look at Coco Gauff’s recent results as well.

Is Coco Gauff the biggest challenge Pegula’s chances at the US Open?

Nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff may have lost out to compatriot and doubles partner Jessica Pegula in the Canadian Open quarters. But certainly, the world number 7 will feel confident of herself as she prepares for the final slam of the season, slated to begin later this month. Gauff’s recent association with Spanish coach Pere Riba paid dividends, as she won her 1st ever WTA 1000 title at the Citi Open in Washington last week. However, she couldn’t emulate the same feat at the Canadian Open with her run being ended by none other than Jessica Pegula.

With Pegula backing up her consistency by adding a big title to her kitty, she looks more prepared than ever to find grand slam glory very soon. Gauff, on the other hand, isn’t far behind. All in all, American tennis fans have much to look forward to, as the US Open shapes up to be a super-exciting affair!

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