"Ajla Tomljanovic had momentum after beating Serena Williams, to see her get sidelined by injury was tough" - Jessica Pegula ahead of United Cup clash
Jessica Pegula faces tough opponents — Ajla Tomljanovic and Katie Boulter — in her pursuit of helping the United States defend their United Cup crown.
The American, who went on a stellar run that included wins over the likes of Iga Swiatek at last year’s competition, however, seems prepped and ready to hit the court running for the new season.
Speaking to media during the pre-tournament press conference, Pegula heaped praise on Tomljanovic, saying it was nice to see the Aussie playing well after an extended bout with injuries.
Recalling Tomjlanovic’s stellar win over Serena Williams at the 2021 US Open, the last match of her career, Pegula said it was tough watching the Aussie get sidelined after building all that momentum.
"Yeah, it's nice to see Ajla Tomljanovic back playing well," Jessica Pegula said. "Obviously she had all that momentum after beating Serena Williams and having a great year, and then to see her get sidelined by injury again is always tough."
Pegula revealed that she and Tomjlanovic, who is also based out of Florida, were slated to practice together but could not because of weather vagaries.
"She lives in Florida pretty close to me," she continued. "Yeah, we actually were supposed to practice a few weeks ago before she came here but we got rained out so it didn't happen."
"Not really much weakness anywhere" - Jessica Pegula on Ajla Tomljanovic's game
Jessica Pegula also dissected Ajla Tomljanovic’s game in the media interaction, saying she was a top 20 player in her opinion.
The American said her opponent was really solid in all departments, a great competitor and had no discernable weaknesses.
"It's nice to see Ajla Tomljanovic back playing well," Jessica Pegula said. "To me, she's a top-20 player, for sure. She's really solid and not really much weakness anywhere. She's a really great competitor."
Pegula also highlighted Tomljanovic’s recent run of form, saying her winning the title at the Mundotennis Open in November would have also filled her with confidence.
"Does everything, honestly, really, really well. It's going to be tough," the American said. I know she hasn't played that much the past year or so, but I know she just won a tournament, and that does a lot for confidence. So I'm sure she's going to be very confident, especially playing down here [in front of home fans]," she added.