Tennis courts are arenas where physical prowess meets mental fortitude, and it’s often the latter that separates the champions from the contenders. In a sport where matches can be grueling and emotions run high, it takes more than just skill to triumph—it takes a mind of steel. Jessica Pegula knows this all too well. Facing off against the talented Canadian, Leylah Fernandez, Pegula was pushed to her limits, and she did not hesitate to admit the challenges. 

The American tennis sensation engaged in an interview with Tennis Channel, following her hard-fought victory against Fernandez at the Cincinnati Open. She opened up about the woes that the match brought to her and the moments when she felt that it slipped away from her hands. 

Speaking in the interview, Pegula said, “It was a mental battle today, definitely. It was tough, yeah, really tough conditions. And it felt like playing her like you know she’s gonna go for her shots, step in and take in early and stuff like that.” The match was indeed ferocious for both players. 

Playing in the Grandstand, which had hot and windy conditions, both Pegula and Fernandez found themselves leading at different junctures. From 2-2 in the opening set, Pegula and Fernandez exchanged seven consecutive breaks, and ultimately, the American steadied herself to win the set 7-5. But a determined Pegula witnessed a fierce Fernandez in the subsequent set. Despite leading the second set 4-0, Pegula failed to maintain her dominance. The Canadian WTA star was quick to fight back and won five straight games before dominating the tiebreak and forcing the match to the third set.

Pegula admitted to this rollercoaster of emotions that was witnessed during the match. “For instance, I can say, even though I had the break, she is such a great competitor. I have seen her many times coming back from leads and I was like oh no it’s happening to me. I’m falling victim to it, but you know I was able to tough it out in the end.” The third set of the match was equally hard-fought for Pegula. 

Pegula led 3-0 in the deciding set but struggled against Fernandez’s skills. The Canadian saved three match points in the final game and took it to a deciding tiebreak. However, a series of unforced errors took her to the back seat with Pegula eventually winning the gruelling match 7-5, 7-6(1), 7-6(3) after three hours and four minutes. But besides winning the match, there is an additional record that Pegula etched her name upon. 

Pegula joins Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in a unique record

The American tennis star found herself sidelined by a series of injuries this year. This also made her miss several tournaments like the ones in Doha, Madrid, and Rome, besides ruining her plans for the Grand Slam at Roland Garros. But Pegula is known for her resilience, and she has portrayed just that as she bounces back in style. 

Pegula has become only the third WTA player to have advanced to 10 or more semifinals in WTA 1000 tournaments since 2020. She is only behind Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, who have played 17 and 11 semifinals, respectively. Pegula has played four semi-finals in the current season alone and the one in Cincinnati would be her fifth. She has also become the first player since Sofia Kenin to reach the Women’s Singles semifinals in both Toronto and Cincinnati in the same season. This trend speaks volumes about the star player’s abilities and her chances at the US Open. 

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if Pegula can continue her sensational run and win bigger going forward. Will her winning trend from the Canadian Open continue? Only time will tell.