Who is richer, Jessica Pegula or Emma Navarro? A look at the fortunes of 2 billionaire daughters who have taken US Open by storm to reach SF
Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro have kept the home hopes afloat by reaching the semifinals of the US Open 2024. Both have made the last four of a Major for the first time in their careers. This is the third time this decade that two of the final four spots are occupied by American women in New York.
Pegula ousted World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, while Navarro got the better of Paula Badosa in the same round. The former will take on Karolina Muchova for a place in the summit clash, while the latter will fight Aryna Sabalenka.
While Pegula has been an established player for a few years, this has been Navarro's breakthrough season. Both have grinded their way to the top and contested plenty of tournaments on the lower circuits. The two could've opted to do anything else as neither is short on money.
Both Pegula and Navarro are set to inherit billions courtesy of their uber-rich families. As the billionaire heiresses have captivated everyone's attention at the US Open, here's a look at whose family fortune outshines the other:
Jessica Pegula is the daughter of Kim and Terry Pegula, the head honchos of many prominent sports teams
Jessica Pegula's father is sports tycoon Terry Pegula. However, he made most of his fortune via gas and natural energy businesses. He initially worked at Getty Oil and Felmont Oil Co. before starting his own venture, East Resources, a natural gas drilling company. His wife, Kim, started to play a major part in all of his professional endeavors since he founded his own company.
Pegula struck gold with his venture and sold part of his business to Royal Dutch Shell for approximately $4.7 billion in 2010. He sold more of his assets to American Energy Partners in 2014 for $1.75 billion. He still maintains ownership of the Greater Rocky Mountain Regional Oil & Gas in Colorado and Wyoming, and JKLM Energy in Pennsylvania.
The Pegulas dived into the world of sports after he amassed such a hefty fortune. He purchased Hockey Western New York LLC in 2011 and gained ownership of the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL and the Buffalo Bandits of the NLL. They also took over the Rochester American of the AHL the same year.
They entered the world of the NFL after they placed the winning bid for the Buffalo Bills in 2014. They also owned the Buffalo Beauts though they divested from it in 2019 after only two years of ownership. The Pegulas' current net worth amounts to $7.7 billion as per Forbes, which doesn't include Jessica Pegula's earnings.
Emma Navarro is the daughter of businessman Ben Navarro, the founder of Sherman Financial Group
Emma Navarro's father Ben graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Rhode Island in 1984. He immediately began working with Chemical Bank straight out of college and then moved to Goldman Sachs after two years. He joined CitiGroup in 1988 and rose to the position of vice president, and eventually left the company in 1997.
Navarro founded the Sherman Financial Group a year later, and the company quickly became one of the largest buyers of consumer debt. He acquired the First National Bank of Marin in 2005 and renamed it Credit One Bank, and is a major player in the credit card business these days.
Navarro has ventured into the world of sports and took over the Charleston Open, a WTA 500 tournament on the women's tour, in 2018. He bought the rights for the Cincinnati Open in 2022 via his company Beemok Sports. His various business efforts have helped him amass a net worth of $1.5 billion as of now, according to Forbes.
Jessica Pegula ranks way ahead of Emma Navarro when it comes to their family net worth, and their own earnings as well
Were Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro to inherit their family fortunes today, the former would have the latter beat quite easily. However, the 30-year-old ranks ahead concerning their own income gained from playing tennis and their own ventures.
Pegula has earned $14.3 million from on-court prize money, while Navarro has made $2.3 million. This is only natural as the former has been a top player for a longer duration compared to the latter.
Pegula is also sponsored by Adidas and has her own skincare brand, "Ready 24", which further adds to her own earnings. Navarro is sponsored by Fila, Yonex, and her father's company Credit One. However, it will be a while before she's able to overtake her older compatriot about their own on and off-court earnings.