"He doesn't want to be seen" - Jessica Pegula hilariously turns attention on husband Taylor as interviewer forgets him in box after US Open SF win
Jessica Pegula playfully called attention to her husband, Taylor Gahagen, after interviewer Rennae Stubbs accidentally forgot to mention him in her player box. The amusing moment took place after the American's semifinal win over Karolina Muchova at the 2024 US Open on September 5.
Pegula entered New York after a title-winning run at the Canadian Open and a runner-up finish in Cincinnati. She appeared poised to claim her first Grand Slam, advancing to the semifinals with commanding wins over Shelby Rogers, Sofia Kenin, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Diana Shnaider, and World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
The 30-year-old's toughest test came against Muchova, who stood between her and the championship match. Despite losing the first set, she kept her composure and rallied to defeat the Czech 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Pegula had strong family support during the match, with her sister Kelly, brother Matthew, father Terry, husband Taylor, and other relatives cheering her on. During her on-court interview with Rennae Stubbs, she thanked them for their presence and humorously pointed out her husband after the Aussie forgot to mention him.
"It's amazing," Jessica Pegula said. "I have my brother there, my sister there on the screen with my dad and my brother-in-law, lots of friends, lots of family all scattered around. Obviously, my husband, sorry I forgot about him. He is not even standing. He doesn't want to be seen."
Stubbs replied:
"Yeah, forgot about him."
The 2024 US Open finalist continued:
"I have so much family here, and they have been watching a lot of my matches, so to still be here and have them still here supporting me is crazy. I am glad that they are able to share this moment with me."
Jessica Pegula to face Aryna Sabalenka in US Open 2024 final
Jessica Pegula is set to face Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the 2024 US Open on September 7 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Belarusian secured her spot in the championship match for the second year in a row by defeating another American Emma Navarro in the semifinals.
Sabalenka exuded confidence during her on-court interview after defeating Navarro, saying that she didn’t "really care" who her next opponent would be, even if it was home favorite Pegula.
"I don't really care because today was a good test of the crowd cheering for my opponent. Even if it's going to be Pegula, I mean, I don't care, I'm ready to face whoever. Lesson from the last year learned and I really hope I'm going to do a little bit better than I did last year," the two-time Grand Slam champion said.
Sabalenka leads Pegula 5-2 in their head-to-head record. Their most recent encounter was at the Cincinnati Open a month ago, where the former defeated the latter in straight sets to take the trophy home.