"We had a bunch of blunders trying to play doubles together" - Pegula sad to knock out doubles partner but not afraid to be ruthless while doing so

Jessica Pegula had to overcome the difficult task of playing against her doubles partner McCartney Kessler in the second round of the Australian Open. While the match went heavily in the favour of the world number six, it was still a challenge to face off against a close companion.

Pegula was very satisfied with her performance in a 6-0, 6-2 victory, and said as much in her press conference. "I thought I played a very clean match and executed exactly what I wanted to from the start," she said. "Maybe I got a little help from her end, but at the same time I was able to play a super clean match and really do what I wanted from start to finish."

While her fellow American was not at the races, Pegula was not going to watch and feel bad for her, with a job to be completed. "When those days come around, you take them and you carry that into the next day, because it doesn’t happen often. She’s a really tricky player and a good competitor, and I’m happy I got through without a lot of drama."

Pegula was back to playing doubles in this year's Australian Open, the first time at Melbourne since 2023 when she made the semi-finals with Coco Gauff. Her venture in this category did not last long, with her and Kessler losing in straight sets to the number five seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani.

A day later, they were facing each other in the singes main draw, a scenario Pegula was not fond of. "It’s always tricky when you have to play someone you know, like, and are also playing doubles with," she admitted. "We had a bunch of blunders trying to play doubles together—miscommunications, signing in issues, signing in and not getting in. Then finally we’re in the draw, everything’s good, and we end up playing each other in the second round.

She had previously spoken fondly of her doubles partner, and was sad to see her exit the event. "That part was just kind of unfortunate, because obviously we want to see each other do well in singles—not have to knock each other out."

You get a vast variety of players on the court. Some are very passionate and let their feelings known whether good or bad, and some keep it all locked up inside. It is mostly down to what works best for them. Pegula reveals she is not someone to let off a lot of steam, with her box matching her energy throughout the match and tournament.

"I don’t think I give off a lot of fired-up energy sometimes, so I think they just match my vibe," she stated. "I never want them not to be fired up, but they do a good job of matching my energy and knowing when I need more or less."

On court Pegula remains calm and focused on the task at hand. "I’m not into getting super hyped. With my personality, it can be draining—I get really high, then there’s usually a lull. I like to stay steady, and I think they do a good job of staying there with me."

This has been the most popular Australian Open on record. Record numbers have come flooding into Melbourne Park with queues lining up as the far as people can see. It shows the growth and popularity in tennis Down Under, with the Australian Open capping off a brilliant month of action in that part of the world.

"I don’t really see what’s going on out there because I’m not walking around watching matches, but I’ve seen lines getting into courts and reports that it’s some of the busiest it’s ever been," Pegula commented.

She was very happy about this., noting the impact Alexandra Eala had. "That’s great—it shows the event is growing and the sport is growing. I saw the Alexandra Eala match where people were wrapped around the stadium trying to get in. That’s pretty crazy. It’s exciting to see. From a fan-experience perspective, I can’t fully judge because I’m not living it, but hopefully the event continues to grow while still making it enjoyable for fans."

Both the men's and women's game is very popular, a lot even in tennis than a lot of sports around the world in terms of viewing figures and prize money. Both genders have their top players who lead the sport into the next generation.

For Pegula, she believes that there is no difference in expectations. "I don’t really feel that. I think it’s pretty even." She went on to explain: "For women, tennis is probably the biggest sport in the world. On the men’s side, there are other sports that compete more closely for attention."

In turn, she wondered whether the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, would be under the spotlight more than others. "That might put a bigger spotlight on the women’s world number one, especially someone who’s been there for a while and is kind of leading the sport. But I don’t think there’s a big difference in expectations. It just comes with being number one in a sport that’s very popular for women," she concluded.