Charleston Open: Jessica Pegula Pulls Off Surprise Move as She Gives 15-YO American Tennis Player a Golden Chance

Top-ranked American Jessica Pegula is also the top-seeded player in the ongoing WTA Charleston Open. Now for a top-level pro tennis player, their practice sessions need to be equally good to perform well. Funnily, after hitting partners such as Frances Tiafoe and Ashleigh Barty, Pegula has moved on to a younger hitting partner.

To everyone’s surprise, the world No. 5 American was spotted hitting, in one of her open practice sessions, a lanky 15-year-old from Mt. Pleasant at the LTP-Daniel Island. A teen vs. pro – how did he fare?

‘He ended up getting one game finally’ – Jessica Pegula

Amusingly surprising everyone, Pegula chose to hit with a High School freshman, Addison Roach. The American pro, talking to Scott Eisberg, happily reveals that initially, Roach’s friends were harassing him for being able to hit her. She further reveals, “During the points he ended up getting one game finally, actually he broke me at the end there.”

Pegula had high hopes for the 15-year-old as he is still pretty young but she believes when he “grows into his body,” he’ll be beating all these pros soon enough. Being able to practice with a top 5 player of the world in her last tournament on home soil for a while is a big feat for the young American. Local boy Roach was homesick but turned up for a FaceTime conversation with Eisberg and revealed that it was Pegula’s manager who reached out to him.

Expressing his amazement he said, “It was really cool. It was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.” He says he started “sweating” when everybody in the stadium started cheering for Pegula. Blushing throughout he ends with proudly adding, “I was super happy, I got a game.” The 15-year-old hopes to play collegiate tennis and eventually turn pro.

But it is not just her hitting partner that Pegula has changed in a surprise move for everybody. This year after her Round 2 exit from the Australian Open the American severed her coaching relationship with long-time coach David Witt.

‘knocking on the door [of winning a major]’ – David Witt on Jessica Pegula

Witt, who coached Pegula throughout her ascension to the uppermost echelons of tennis, told TENNIS.com, “It was a total surprise to me,” a surprised former WTA Coach Of The Year confessed that he “never saw it coming.”

Despite parting ways, Witt thanks Pegula for the opportunity and eagerly anticipates his next challenge. Before coaching her, Witt had a coaching stint with Venus Williams, pointing at the value he places on player relationships alongside coaching responsibilities as he has only coached two players in the last 15 years.

Witt believes that you never know how high a player can go and coaches should focus more on carving their players into the best pro they can be. Witt also believes that Pegula is “knocking on the door [of winning a major].”

However, Pegula one of America’s best prospects overall barely managed to scrape past her compatriot, Amanda Anisimova in Round 3. She now faces stern resistance on her way to the quarter-finals in the shape of an in-form, Magda Linette.

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