“I wanted to keep my foot on the gas”: Jessica Pegula embraces the challenge to win in Austin

Jessica Pegula revealed what she struggled with most during the ATX Open final against fellow American McCartney Kessler. The world No. 4 secured her first title of the season by defeating her compatriot 7-5, 6-2. This marks the seventh title of Pegula’s career and her third at WTA 250 level.

This was the first all-American final at a women’s tournament in the U.S. since the 2017 US Open, where Sloane Stephens triumphed over Madison Keys. Pegula also became the first American champion of the ATX Open, following previous winners Marta Kostyuk and Yue Yuan.

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This time, Pegula didn’t face too many difficulties against Kessler, who was contesting her second final of the season. However, the conditions in Austin made things complicated for Pegula, forcing her to adapt.

“It was definitely super windy and it was tough,” Pegula admitted. “But I knew it wasn’t only me getting frustrated. It was tough to serve and made for a lot of awkward shots. I kind of tried to adjust, play in the middle a bit more, and give myself a little bit more margin where I could hit (fully) but not go for as much.”

Jessica Pegula at 2025 Australian Open.

The 2024 US Open runner-up acknowledged that she struggled at the end of the first set. “It was ugly. There was a lot of back and forth, and there were definitely a lot of points that she probably should have won, but the conditions were really tough.”

“She kind of overshot a few shots and went for too much. When that happens, you don’t ask any questions and just go, ‘okay, well, I’ll just try to use that to win this set.’ Luckily, I was able to do that. She takes pretty big cuts at the ball, and with how windy it was, I thought I might get some of those points.”

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Pegula further explained how the wind played a factor in her opponent’s game. “She goes for a lot, and when you’re playing with the wind, those shots can really spray. It happened to me too. I wanted to keep my foot on the gas. I felt like I kind of upped my level a little bit, and she didn’t, so I just tried to ride that out as long as possible.

“I was happy with the way I put my foot down in the second set, regardless of the conditions. I think everything got about 5% better in the second set. Once I felt that, I thought, ‘I got this.’”

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Both players used the tournament as preparation for their next challenge at Indian Wells. Pegula, the fourth seed, has a first-round bye and will start her campaign on Friday or Saturday. Meanwhile, Kessler—currently ranked world No. 48—will begin her run in the first round, playing either Wednesday or Thursday.

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