"Crazy...it feels harder" - Jessica Pegula makes honest admission after surviving Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka-led group to reach WTA Finals SF

Jessica Pegula is currently in action at the 2025 WTA Finals. The American has successfully made it out of the group stage matches and she recently weighed in on the ‘crazy deep' competition at the tournament this year.

Pegula entered the WTA Finals as part of the Stefanie Graf Group, which consisted of herself, World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, defending champion Coco Gauff and 2025 Italian Open champion Jasmine Paolini. Pegula began her campaign in Riyadh by notching a win over Gauff. While she then suffered a loss to Sabalenka, she defeated Paolini in her last round robin match to qualify for the semifinals.

After making it out of the group stages, Jessica Pegula reflected on the competition in the Stefanie Graf Group, saying (as quoted by RFI),

"I felt like this year was so competitive. I felt like this group has been so strong all year and we've all had a time of the year where we've played such a high level. I do feel like the level has been crazy, crazy deep this year. It feels a little bit harder than maybe past years.”

Other than Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka also made it to the semifinals from the Stefanie Graf Group, having gone undefeated in all three of her round robin matches.

Jessica Pegula reflects on beating Jasmine Paolini and reaching the semifinals of the WTA Finals

Pegula at the WTA Finals 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

For Jessica Pegula, her time in Riyadh got off to an incredible start as she ousted compatriot Coco Gauff in a gruelling three-set battle. While the 31-year-old then fell short against Aryna Sabalenka, her straight sets victory over Jasmine Paolini saw her display some impeccable gameplay.

Reflecting on her win over Paolini, Pegula told media,

“I finally got a straight sets win for the first time in a few months. That always feels really good, but I thought I served really well and just played solid today. I was aggressive when I needed to be. There wasn’t much negative today.”

She went on to express her delight at having qualified for the semifinals, saying (as quoted by RFI),

"I'm really happy and excited to be through into the semis here. I knew I needed to win today, especially in straight sets, so that was kind of my main motivation and I'm glad I was able to play some really good tennis,"

For her semifinals encounter at the WTA Finals, Jessica Pegula will face off against Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh has been in incredible form in Riyadh, having gone undefeated in her own group stage matches.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya