Taylor Townsend and Jessica Pegula have built an unbreakable bond on the WTA Tour, often hyping each other in the most heartwarming and hilarious ways. Remember the last AO? When Townsend stormed into the doubles final alongside Katerina Siniakova, she proudly posted, “Finals 🦋🇦🇺,” along with some IG pictures, and Pegula wasted no time cheering her on with a loud, “Let’s goooo!!!” Or flashback to the 2023 China Open, where Townsend playfully grilled Pegula’s ring toss dominance, teasing, “@jpegula you play beer pong or what?” Now, as Pegula flexes her Spanish speaking skills on social media after a dominating R64 victory in Madrid, Townsend, with Jennifer Brady in tow, couldn’t resist poking fun at her in classic, laugh-out-loud style.

Bouncing back in style after her early exit at the Stuttgart Open, the World No. 3 Jessica Pegula delivered a clinical performance at the Madrid Open, dispatching Eva Lys with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win. Pegula’s trademark consistency and precision were on full display, as she fired 3 aces and dominated with a high percentage of first-serve points won.

Following her impressive victory, Pegula celebrated in true Madrid spirit, sprinkling a bit of Spanish flair across her social media. But the fun didn’t stop there as fellow American stars like Taylor Townsend and Jennifer Brady quickly jumped in, hilariously poking fun at Pegula’s Spanish speaking skills.

A while back, Jessica Pegula posted a carousel of snapshots on IG. In the first image, she’s staring at the iconic red clay; in the second, she’s all fire, celebrating a crucial point. The third photo captures her waving to the crowd after her win, and the fourth shows her signing autographs for her adoring fans.

Along with the post, Pegula wrote, “nos vemos en la tercera ronda @mutuamadridopen” which means, “see you in round three @mutuamadridopen,” and as soon as the post went live, Taylor Townsend couldn’t resist chiming in with a hilarious comment: “Google translate loading 😂,” while fellow American star Jennifer Brady cheekily added, “see translation.“

Safe to say some of the American players haven’t really got a hang of the Spanish language! Just days ago, during a practice session in Madrid, the World No. 10 Emma Navarro had her memorable language mishap. Attempting to say she was embarrassed, Navarro accidentally declared, “estoy embarazada,” which in Spanish means “I’m pregnant.” The hilarious slip had everyone in stitches, and Navarro embraced the moment, later sharing a fun compilation video on IG packed with laughter, training clips, and behind-the-scenes antics.

Navarro kept the good vibes rolling, humorously clarifying in her caption, “a few days of preparation in Madrid @mutuamadridopen (not to worry, I’m not pregnant 😂 language mishap).” 

She also charmed fans by sharing a sweet story about her Easter celebration in Madrid, adding, “I speak a little bit of Spanish. My favorite food in Spain is a sandwich with ham and cheese. For Easter, I tried to find a church but, because my dad…my dad told me that I need to go to the church but, all of the churches were closed. So, I walked three miles.”

Coming back to Pegula, while her Spanish-speaking skills become the center of some playful banter, her performances on court have been extraordinary. In fact, she just achieved a major career milestone, now trailing only the legendary Serena Williams among American players in a remarkable statistical category.

Jessica Pegula closes in on Serena Williams after defeating Eva Lys at the Madrid Open

Jessica Pegula is determined to improve on her 2022 Madrid Open performance, where she reached the final but fell short against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur. On Friday, she displayed clinical precision in her match against Eva Lys, with her exceptional serving stats standing out. 

She won an impressive 67% of points on her serve and 58% on returns. The third seed maintained her composure under pressure, securing 6 breaks while conceding only two against her. Her dominant performance marked her 14th win in her first 20 matches on WTA 1000 clay events, which is the second best among American players, with Serena Williams leading with 16 wins.

“I’m just trying to keep my game consistent and focus on what I can control on the court. I feel good about my game right now,” Pegula said after her victory. 

Pegula’s journey at this year’s Madrid Open holds extra significance as the 29-year-old seeks to improve her ranking. Currently, she is only 175 points behind Iga Swiatek, the defending champion in Madrid and World No. 2. With Swiatek defending 1,000 points having won last year’s title, Pegula’s performance in Madrid could be crucial in her bid to climb higher in the rankings.

Pegula is safely through to the third round, where she will face Moyuka Uchijima in their first-ever meeting on the WTA Tour. While Pegula enters the match as the favorite, the showdown promises to be an exciting one. What do you think the result will be? Share your thoughts below!