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She may be a virtual unknown to many in Australian audiences, but the giant American who killed Jessica Pegula, who has now reached the quarter-finals, comes from one of the wealthiest families in the States. -United.
Pegula, 26 from Buffalo, New York, played incredible tennis in the first eight days of the Australian Open, beating Sam Stosur and former Top 10 player Kristina Mladenovic before sending shockwaves through the tournament in the fourth round by beat world No.5 Elina Svitolina today.
American giant killer strikes again
She has a winnable quarterfinal, against either Croatian Donna Vekic or American compatriot Jennifer Brady, and if she wins this match, she’ll be on the verge of ruining Ash Barty’s party in the semifinals.
His performance at this tournament in itself is a phenomenal story, but when you combine it with his family background, it’s a story you could hardly believe.
Pegula has always been a super talent but a tough race with injuries limited her as a professional.
Until this tournament, she had never gone further than the third round of a Grand Slam, so in many ways this tournament is an announcement of her arrival as a force to be reckoned with.
While his tennis success is only just beginning in some ways, success is a word that has always been inherent in his family, along with wealth, power and influence.
His parents, Kim and Terry, built their fortunes in oil and gas and beat Donald Trump and rocker Jon Bon Jovi to buy the NFL franchise the Buffalo Bills, while they also own the team. NHL, Buffalo Sabers. Family wealth is estimated to lie somewhere in the $ 5 billion ball park.
Jessica has also dived into the corporate world, with her own skin care business and a charity that provides service animals to people in need.
Obviously, a family like hers opens a lot of doors, but speaking to the media earlier in the tournament, she admitted that she has a habit of distancing herself from her last name as she tries to make her way as a tennis player.
“When I was younger it was more like I wanted to make a name for myself and then I realized as I got older I should embrace the whole family aspect instead,” she says.
“It almost hurt me in a way because it wasn’t going to go away and I learned to accept that, to have fun with it.”
“Obviously, I always like to keep things separate at times.
“Tennis is like my thing, it’s my job, it’s my career. It’s very separate and my parents don’t really have a say in everything I do on the court right now. “
Obviously, it works for her, with Pegula’s mix of awesome power and balance. Nine reviewers Sam Smith picked her so badly to be Barty’s biggest world No.1 on the way to Saturday’s final.
Pegula pulled off that “wild statement” in a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over Svitolina, keeping his nerves in check to cross the line in a tight three sets.
After the game, she said she focused on finding the right mix of aggression and control.
“I really tried to incorporate that into my game,” she told Nine during her field interview.
“Especially against someone like [Svitolina], in the second set I started hitting a bit, I hadn’t really advanced so at the end of the second set I think it was important that I had better matches in there to try to gain momentum in the third.
“Also, it was pretty hot today, so I think with the nerves and the end of the third set being difficult, I got a little tired, but I feel good now.”
Pegula said her family would have watched her game on television in Buffalo, adding “I’m sure everyone is excited.”
“Buffalo is kind of a small town but everyone is behind anyone so being from there I really got a lot of support from them so yell at Buffalo to always support me at home and I hope I can bring tennis back to Buffalo. “
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