"I wanted to redeem myself a little bit" - Jessica Pegula avenges her singles loss to Elena Rybakina in their Billie Jean King Cup doubles tie

The United States secured a berth to the semifinals of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup behind an excellent performance by the doubles team of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Townsend. The victory meant more to Pegula, who had earlier suffered a loss in the singles tie.

The Americans faced Kazakhstan in a quarterfinal tie, with Kazakh No.1 Elena Rybakina facing off against the higher-ranked Pegula. However, it was Rybakina who prevailed, recording a 6-4 6-1 victory to level the tie at 1-1 after the United States had won the opening match.

With a spot in the semifinals up for grabs, both teams would need to win the deciding doubles tie to advance to the final four. Seeking redemption, Pegula teamed up with compatriot Townsend to take on the Kazakh team of Rybakina and Yulia Putintseva.

Despite a disappointing loss to Rybakina in singles, Pegula looked undaunted in the doubles encounter. The Americans, lead by doubles World No.1 Townsend prevailed with a 6-2 7-6(1) victory to set up a semi-final against Japan or Great Britain.

"I kind of knew whatever happened [in the singles against Rybakina], I'd be in for doubles," said the 2024 US Open runner-up. "I had to kind of shift my mindset really quickly,” Pegula said. “But I've done it before. I played team events. I've played singles and doubles, where I'm usually playing both.
“I just took it as a challenge and wanted to kind of redeem myself a little bit out there against her, try and help my team get a win. Even though I wasn't able to do it on the singles court, we had a chance to take it in doubles. I haven't played with Taylor in such a long time, so that was fun to get back playing with her. It was a lot of fun."

The American duo would later reveal they only had time to practice four games together before the decisive rubber. However, their play styles allowed them to mesh well on court, which was instrumental in securing the victory.

"I feel with Tay and I, when we get back out there... I always love playing with a lefty," added Pegula. "Makes my life a lot easier. I think our games complement each other really well.
“I think Taylor, she's an amazing doubles player. She could probably play with anybody. When I'm really solid from the baseline, as long as I'm serving and returning well, I feel like she's always going to be there at the net to pick up, pick off the volleys at the net. I feel like our games just kind of mesh that way."