Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul achieve grass-court glory for American tennis with Berlin and Queen's Club Championships triumphs
Jessica Pegula and Tommy Paul's respective title-winning runs at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin and the Cinch Championships in Queen's Club, London, marked significant achievements for American tennis during the ongoing grasscourt season. Pegula defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the title decider in Berlin while Paul came out on top against Lorenzo Musetti in Queen's.
Pegula had missed the majority of the clay season, including the French Open, due to a rib injury. However, she confirmed that she would be back in time for the grass season. The World No. 5 made her comeback at the Libema Open, where she reached the second round before losing to Aleksandra Krunic.
However, at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin, there was no stopping the 30-year-old as she swept aside Donna Vekic, Katerina Siniakova, and World No. 2 Coco Gauff to reach the final. Against Anna Kalinskaya in the final, Jessica Pegula saved five championship points to win 6-7(0), 6-4, 7-6(3), clinching her maiden grasscourt title in the process.
Meanwhile, Tommy Paul displayed his own grasscourt prowess at the Cinch Championships in Queen's, London. The 27-year-old made his way to the final of the ATP 500 event after beating Sebastian Baez, Alejandro Tabilo, Jack Draper, and Sebastian Korda.
Paul made light work of Lorenzo Musetti in the final's first set, winning it 6-1. However, the Italian took the second set to a tiebreak. Ultimately though, it was the American who clinched the set 7-6(8) to win the biggest title of his career so far. The victory also marks Paul's ascension to the top-ranked American men's tennis player, leapfrogging Taylor Fritz. Additionally, it was the first time that an American player won the title at Queen's Club since Sam Querrey in 2010.
"Most grass-court confidence that I've had probably going into Wimbledon" - Jessica Pegula after winning the ecotrans Ladies Open
Jessica Pegula attended a press conference after the conclusion of the trophy presentation ceremony in Berlin. During the presser, she spoke about the confidence that her title-winning Berlin campaign had given her in the buildup to the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
"This is the most grass-court confidence that I've had probably going into Wimbledon. Hopefully that pays off as well. Being able to tough out a couple of matches and have a couple of long matches, especially for the body to get ready, and dealing with a lot of the rain delays too," Pegula said.
That's always possible at Wimbledon as well, so that was good prep mentally as well," she added.
Pegula's best finish so at the Wimbledon Championships came in 2023, when she reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova. She is next scheduled to compete at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne.