Jessica Pegula is having a US Open to remember. The American has made it to a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time in her career courtesy of Wednesday’s win over top seed Iga Swiatek, and her bank balance will benefit as a result.
Not that it needs much help. The 30-year-old is from a family with a reported net worth of £5.4billion. Pegula’s parents, Terry and Kim, own NFL franchise the Buffalo Bills and NHL outfit the Buffalo Sabres.
But the tennis ace has forged an impressive career prize pot in her own right, raking in almost £11million in winnings since turning professional in 2009.
Pegula’s best Grand Slam performances have all come in the last three years, and she has topped the lot with this summer’s run at Flushing Meadows. The Buffalo-born competitor booked her spot in the semis with a stunning 6-2 6-4 win over Swiatek.
And that has propelled her guaranteed US Open prize money from £400,000 to £760,000 – an increase of £360,000 in just two sets of tennis.
“I have been here so many freaking times,” said Pegula after beating five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek. “I just kept losing, but to great players, players who went on to win the tournament.
“Finally, finally I can say I’m a grand slam semi-finalist. To do it against the number one in the world is crazy. I knew I could do it, I was able to take advantage of some things she wasn’t doing very well early on and that carried through.”
Next up for Pegula is a tough semi-final against Karolina Muchova – the unseeded Czech who has toppled two seeded players en route to the last four, plus a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka earlier in the tournament.
“I’m a big fan of (Muchova’s),” Pegula admitted. “I think she’s so good, so talented, so skilled as a tennis player, like, so complete. She doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses.
“We played each other for the first time in Cincy, and I always laugh because she should be seeded but she never is. I always see in the draw when she draws somebody good in the first round, I’m like, oh, she’s back, like, floating around in these draws, and I don’t want a part of that!”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk