Jessica Pegula confirms gender sex testing policy has begun at Cincinnati Open: "Wasn't something that was brought out of nowhere"

Thursday, 13 August 2026 at 08:30

Pegula in service position just before the impact.

Jessica Pegula who has long been a focal point of the WTA Player Council has confirmed that the gender sex testing which has been widely reported on and discussed has been introduced at the Cincinnati Open.

While some players are still in Canada with the end of the tournament in Toronto, many of the other big names are now preparing for Cincinnati despite wash outs likely at least in part during the opening few days.

But amid the move from the WTA to bring in mandatory gender sex testing in order to prevent transgender players in women's sports albeit without there being a need right now in tennis in particular, it has stirred debate aplenty throughout the tour. Pegula though praised the WTA for their handling of the situation whether people hold differing views or not and said that other names seem to not be dealing with it much different.

Pegula confirms testing has begun

The American confirmed too that the drive had started in Cincinnati and no doubt will be done now and during the US Open for those who are not playing in CIncinnati. “It definitely wasn’t something that was kind of brought all on us out of nowhere here in Cincinnati,” Pegula said as per Front Office Sports.

"I think it’s a hot topic right now, but I think the tour is doing a pretty good job and players seem to be okay with everything.”

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Coco Gauff backed the policy herself in Canada, but took a more of a different approach to others in that she hoped it wasn't used as a tool to attack the trans community and said that some are using it as a tool to do so.

Martina Navratilova has long been an outspoken critic on trans women in sports and Aryna Sabalenka as World No.1 has previously spoken out about it as a part of the Battle of the Sexes with Nick Kyrgios earlier this year. So in reality, Gauff sees it differently to others who perhaps in her view using it for their own agenda.

Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates during her match against Alina Korneeva during round of 16 National Bank Open

“As far as that, I mean, I understand the reasoning behind it. I do think that this kind of conversation has created a lot of animosity towards the trans community, which I’m not really a big fan of, but I also understand the need to, I guess, the biological difference and the need to protect that and preserve that.

“So I think it’s a conversation that is very nuanced. And it creates, causes, or I need to have a nuanced answer. So, yes, I guess I kind of agree with trying to protect the fairness in women’s sports.

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

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