"Jessica Pegula doesn't care about me, clearly" – Coco Gauff jokingly calls out compatriot after yet another movie date snub
Coco Gauff has jokingly called out Jessica Pegula for bailing on their movie night plans in Paris. Gauff defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 in the fourth round of the French Open on Monday, June 2.
The American youngster entered Paris on the back of runner-up finishes in Madrid and Rome. She started her French Open campaign by cruising past Tereza Valentova and Marie Bouzkova in the first couple of rounds before eliminating Alexandrova in the fourth.
Gauff has now playfully called out Pegula for skipping their movie night plans in Paris. The duo were supposed to see 'Thunderbolts' together, but Pegula seemingly cancelled without notice.
"Jess ditched me once again. Oh, no. She left you. She asked me, and I'm putting her on the spot, so hopefully she'll win, so she won't be extra upset. But she asked me if I wanted to watch Thunderbolts together, and I was like, yes," Coco Gauff told Tennis Channel at the French Open.
"And then, um, she went, I think she went home a little bit after Madrid and between Madrid and Rome. So I still waited, you know, I could have gone. I still waited. Just to find out yesterday from her physio to my physio that she saw the movie. And so she doesn't know that I know that she saw it," she added.
Gauff and Pegula are good friends on tour and often play doubles together. In 2023 they became the first all-American duo to win the Miami Open doubles title in 22 years, defeating Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend 7-6(6), 6-2.
This is not the first time Pegula has ditched Gauff for a movie night; the latter also called out her friend at the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year. She took a lighthearted dig at Pegula by humorously calling her 'fake.'
"You never responded to my text. This girl invited me to go to the movie, I said let me know when you wanna go, and then she never responded. She is fake,” Gauff said.
While Gauff entered the quarterfinals on Monday, Pegula fell short against Lois Boisson in the fourth round. The local favorite defeated the American 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff insisted that she wouldn't accept future movie night plans with Jessica Pegula. She said during her recent interview:
"So this is the second time she's ditched me. And so next time she asks me to go to the movie, the answer is going to be no. I thought I was being a good friend, but she doesn't care about me, clearly. So I hope she sees this. I hope she does win. I was just waiting for somebody to bring it up. I literally told my physio, if somebody asks me anything about Jess or movies or anything, I'm going to bring it up to give my chance to rip her, and this is my chance. I love you, though. Jess."
Coco Gauff will take on Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the French Open
Coco Gauff is making her sixth appearance at the French Open this year. She will take on Madison Keys in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (June 4, 2025).
While Gauff edged past Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round, Keys defeated Hailey Baptiste in straight sets.
Keys leads the head-to-head against Gauff 3-2, defeating her compatriot most recently in the 2024 Madrid Open.
The duo will face each other for the second time on clay this week. The winner of this match will take on either Mirra Andreeva or Lois Boisson in the semifinals.