Jessica Pegula’s build-up to the WTA Finals has gone awry before a ball has been hit, and the problem had nothing to do with her groundstrokes. The World No. 4 has been forced to spend time dealing with an airline rather than hitting a practice court.
Pegula’s last competitive outing came at the Wuhan Open, where Jelena Ostapenko beat her 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3 after saving three match points in the second-set tiebreak. Prior to that, the American made a stellar run to the US Open semifinals, losing to Aryna Sabalenka at the New York Major for the third year in a row.
Thanks for the submission!
The 32-year-old is now set to compete at the WTA Finals, scheduled to take place from Nov. 8 to 15 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The event moved to California after two editions in Riyadh, and the draw ceremony is set for Nov. 3.
However, Pegula’s trip there did not go to plan. The World No. 4 expressed frustration with United Airlines on X, detailing how the airline cancelled her flight and sent passengers to baggage claim, then reinstated it and departed with their bags on board. She said the aircraft sat for more than two hours in a torrential downpour while everyone else went back to the gate, and that baggage services had no idea what was happening.
“@united explain to me how you cancelled our flight, you tell us to go to baggage claim and then uncancel the flight and take off with our bags. We also sat on the plane for 2+ hours in a torrential downpour when everyone else went back to the gate. Then baggage services had 0 clue what was happening and kept saying they would pull our bags. Meanwhile the flight took off. Craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jessica Pegula posted.
United responded with an apology for the mix-up and a request for her confirmation number by direct message.
“We understand that travel doesn’t always go as planned, and we’re sorry for the frustration, Jessie. Please DM us your confirmation number so we can assist,” the comment read.
“I don’t know if I’m satisfied” – Jessica Pegula evaluated her season ahead of the WTA Finals
Jessica Pegula candidly evaluated her season after her US Open semifinal defeat to Aryna Sabalenka. The World No. 4 explained that while she would not describe herself as satisfied, she took pride in her season, which included two Grand Slam semifinals and a quarterfinal at Wimbledon, as well as two tour-level titles.
“I don’t know if I’m satisfied, but I think it was a very good summer. I think that results-wise, now that Grand Slams are all over — I mean, it’s a shame — I made two semifinals, a quarter at Wimbledon, I’ve had an amazing year already,” Jessica Pegula said.
The American also set out what she wanted from the closing weeks, with points to defend in Asia and a WTA Finals place still to secure. She secured that qualification on Oct. 14.
There’s still stuff to look forward to. I think all the top girls are playing some great tennis, so I would still like to finish the year strong and kind of establish myself in a good spot for the year-end rankings and hopefully make WTA Finals. I have some points to defend going into Asia. Yeah, I don’t know if ‘satisfied’ is the right word, but I’m definitely happy with the way the year has gone.
Jessica Pegula will be on the hunt for her maiden WTA Finals title when she arrives in California. She achieved her best result at the event in 2023, when she finished as the runner-up to Iga Swiatek. The 32-year-old also made the semifinals last year before falling short against eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
Edited by Urvi Mehra
