"I've just had more confidence": Jessica Pegula shares method to great success at 2023 WTA Finals

Jessica Pegula has revealed the method to her successful season, as well as her positive results at the 2023 WTA Finals which have seen her qualify for the semi-finals.

The World No. 5 achieved her 101st match win out of the 133 that she has played this season, defeating Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-2 at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun. Prior to this, the 29-year-old won both of her other group stage matches against Elena Rybakina and top seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.

This means that Pegula has progressed to the semi-finals at the prestigious season-ending championships for the first time. Although she was among the Top 8 players who made it to the 2022 WTA Finals in Forth Worth, Texas, she was ousted in the round-robin stage after she lost to Sakkari, Ons Jabeur, and Sabalenka.

Pegula's match tally of 133 is the highest of any player on the WTA Tour this season across singles and doubles, something which she wasn't even aware of until a reporter informed her of the impressive statistic in Cancun.

This tally includes some great success stories, including her victory at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open in August, a straight-sets win over Iga Swiatek at the United Cup in January, and a six-match winning streak against her fellow Top 10 players. At the Finals, Pegula opened up on how her mindset has changed since she first became a top-ranked player.

"I think last year when I became Top 5, I felt maybe I psyched myself out a little bit -- not a lot -- but just a little bit. You have a couple of thoughts in your head if you really belong at that level. I was always good at beating everyone below me. But it's like now you have to beat the one or two before you, and I think you put a bigger emphasis on that.

"This year, I've just not really cared and I've just had, I think, more confidence in those matches. And that's why I think I've had some maybe better top wins this year as far as beating No.1 players in the world in big moments, like here and in Montreal," she said.

"I try to use my match experience as best I can. Every match, you're always gonna feel different. But I think the more you put yourself in those situations, the better you feel when they come up again. It doesn't feel like you have to panic as much.

"Doesn't always [happen], it depends on the day. Sometimes you don't always feel like that. Sometimes you might freak out. But I think that's the point is, I've been through those moments before," Pegula continued.