Jessica Pegula has stormed through the Miami Open, slicing through early rounds to book a Round of 16 clash with Jaqueline Cristian while building rhythm in doubles with Storm Hunter after wins over Magda Linette and Ann Li. A tougher doubles test now looms against Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko. Yet, amid the surge, she sparked buzz after mistakenly taking Diana Shnaider’s bag and quickly apologizing.

Jessica Pegula found herself in an unusual moment during her opening doubles match at the Miami Open. As she walked onto the court, Pegula unknowingly carried a Yonex kit bag that was not hers. The mix-up went unnoticed at first.

The moment gained traction after a clip surfaced online. It was shared by Spencer Gray on Instagram. “Shows up to dubs court with someone elses bag” read the caption. Pegula later reshared the clip on her own story.

“I’m so sorry @di_shnaider I stole your bag,” she wrote, tagging Diana Shnaider. The lighthearted apology quickly went viral.

Shnaider, who had already exited the tournament after losing to Belinda Bencic, responded with humor. “This is why you shouldn’t leave your bag your stuff unattended,” she added.

Despite the off-court mix-up, Pegula’s record in Miami remains strong. Her early appearances were modest, including qualifying rounds and a first-round exit in 2019.

Her trajectory shifted in 2021. Since then, she has consistently reached at least the fourth round, including multiple deep runs.

Her best singles results include semifinal runs in 2022 and 2023, followed by a quarterfinal in 2024 and a runner-up finish in 2025. She also enjoyed doubles success with Coco Gauff, winning the 2023 title. 

As for the bag swap incident, similar mix-ups have occurred before, leaving players visibly confused and caught off guard on court.

Coco Gauff walks onto the French Open court without racquets

Coco Gauff went viral last year at the French Open for an unusual mistake before her match. The moment quickly caught attention across the tennis world. She arrived on court to face Olivia Gadecki wearing a stylish leather jacket and a fresh kit. Everything looked perfect at first glance.

However, one crucial item was missing. Gauff had walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier without her racquets. The then No. 2 seed realized the error only after opening her bag. She smiled awkwardly as the mistake became clear.

“They were supposed to be in my bag,” she told the chair umpire after checking inside. The situation briefly paused the match. A ball boy later brought her the racquets from the locker room. Gauff quickly recovered and won 6-2, 6-2 to move into the second round.

“Honestly, I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything,” Gauff told TNT after the match. “So it felt like I had enough weight. And then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, ‘OK, no rackets.’ The second zipper, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I went on court with no racquets.’”

She later joked about blaming her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel. “Honestly, as long as I’ve been on tour, my coach has always put the rackets in the bag before the match because he’s very superstitious,” she said. “I’m blaming it on my coach. It’s OK.”

A similar moment happened to Frances Tiafoe at the BNP Paribas Open, when he found his bag empty before facing Damir Dzumhur. 

Now, with Jessica Pegula involved in a bag mix-up at the Miami Open, such incidents continue to surprise players and fans alike.