Jessica Pegula, the daughter of the billionaire owner of the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills Terry Pegula, has advanced to the U.S. Open tennis final. At 4:00 pm Saturday afternoon, Pegula will take on Aryna Sabalenka, the second-ranked women’s tennis player in the world. Pegula is certainly no slouch herself, ranking sixth in the world coming into the tournament.
It’s the first time in Pegula’s career that she has reached the final in a singles Grand Slam event. She participated in the French Open final as a doubles player in 2022. Pegula also partnered with Austin Krajicek on the mixed doubles team that lost in the U.S. Open final in 2023.
Aryna Sabalenka
Sabalenka, meanwhile, has won the Australian Open the past two years. It’s the furthest she’s advanced in the U.S. Open, with a similar result last season as she lost to Coco Gauff. She is favored to win the event as a former world number one.
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Jessica Pegula
Both Pegula and Sabalenka have managed to advance with only losing one set. Pegula upset world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-final in consecutive sets to advance to the semi-final. After conceding the first set, she defeated Karolina Muchova in the semis to earn a bid in the final.
Pegula holds a 2-5 record all-time versus Sabalenka, but winning the U.S. Open would put her in elite company. She would join Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Willians, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, and Coco Gauff as American winners of the event.
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Pegula, of course, has close ties to the city of Buffalo. Besides her association with the Bills and Sabres through her parents, Jessica and her sister Kelly owned the Healthy Scratch, a quick-serve restaurant, located in LECOM Harborcenter before closing it in 2022.
You can watch the U.S. Open final between Pegula and Sabalenka live on ESPN and stream on ESPN+ or Fubo TV.
