Will Jessica Pegula win her first Grand Slam in 2025?
Jessica Pegula wrapped up yet another successful season and finished inside the top 10 despite missing nearly the entirety of the clay court swing. However, one blemish that remains in the American's career, for at least one more season, is a Grand Slam title.
Pegula did not rack up any big performance in the first half of the 2024 season. She lost in the second round at the Australian Open, and injuries to her neck and rib prevented the American from playing four of the first six WTA 1000 tournaments of the year, as well as Roland Garros.
The American returned to action during the grass-court swing and picked up her first silverware of the season in Berlin. She shifted gears in the North American hardcourt swing and defended her title at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open and finished runner-up at the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open. Her incredible run continued at the US Open.
Pegula defeated the likes of Sofia Kenin, Iga Swiatek, and Karolina Muchova to not only break her Grand Slam quarterfinal curse, but also qualify for her maiden major singles final. Unfortunately, the ferocity of Aryna Sabalenka was too much for Pegula to endure and the Belarusian won her third Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.
The campaign in New York was the first real sight of Jessica Pegula giving it all at the Grand Slam stage. The American has historically struggled at Grand Slams, which is unusual for someone who has stayed in the top 10 of the WTA ranking for the last three years. Before the 2024 US Open, Pegula had lost in the quarterfinal stage of a major on six occasions.
But now, with a New York runner-up title under her belt, the World No. 7 will be eyeing her maiden Grand Slam title in the 2025 season. And she could very well fulfill that dream in her own backyard.
US Open 2025 will be the best opportunity for Jessica Pegula to win her first Grand Slam
Jessica Pegula is a through-and-through hardcourt specialist, with five out of her six WTA Tour titles coming on that surface. Barring the triumph at the 2024 Berlin Ladies Open, the American has not shown her best on natural surfaces. She holds an 8-5 career win-loss record at both the French Open and Wimbledon and the likeliness of her first Grand Slam coming in Paris or London is very minimal.
That leaves the two hardcourt Grand Slams, which I believe will be the biggest targets for Pegula in 2025. She has a respectable record at both events, with three consecutive quarterfinals (2021, 2022, 2023) and a 13-5 win-loss record in Melbourne, and a runner-up finish and an 18-8 win-loss record in New York.
The US Open will be a slightly more favorable location for Pegula to break the Grand Slam drought. In 2024, she showed her ability to weather any opponent with her picture-perfect groundstrokes and signature backhand down-the-line shots. No one on the 2024 tour was able to thwart Iga Swiatek like Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals (6-2, 6-4).
Moreover, the atmosphere, home support, and familiarity with conditions in New York are enormous pluses for Pegula. For sure, there will be many challenges in her path to US Open victory, like maintaining her health (considering the injuries she suffered in the first half of 2024) and the emergence of new rivals like Zheng Qinwen and Karolina Muchova in addition to the existing top brass of Sabalenka, Swiatek, and Coco Gauff.
But if Jessica Pegula keeps her focus, especially when she is down in a match, and makes good use of her weapons, she could very well lift the US Open trophy in 10 months' time.