Aryna-Serena! Although a homophonic pair of names but with a completely different history. The crowd had a big laugh when Jessica Pegula mistook the pronunciation of Aryna Sabalenka for that of ‘Serena.’ However, as the final showdown commenced, the 30-year-old was forced to admit that the level of dominance she faced against ‘The Tiger’ was nothing less than that of the American tennis great.

Monday in Cincinnati turned out to be a tough day for Jessica Pegula, as she faced a dominant Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Despite her best efforts, the American WTA star couldn’t find a way past the Belarusian powerhouse, eventually facing a defeat with a final scoreline of 6-3, 7-5. Along with breaking Pegula’s commendable 9-match win streak, the Tiger also made her admit to the core levels of her dominance.

The 30-year-old graciously accepted the runner-up trophy and therefore reflected on the lighthearted moment from the semi-final post-match interview. “Funny, Andrew [Krasny] said Aryna, and I thought he said Serena, but it felt like Serena today with the way you were serving there for a little bit, so I don’t know, I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna [laughs],” Pegula joked, as she acknowledged Sabalenka’s powerful serves in the match, which according to her were comparable to that of Serena Williams.

This humorous exchange was a continuation of an earlier conversation that took place when Pegula defeated Paula Badosa to secure her spot in the final. When asked about her thoughts on facing Sabalenka in the post-match interview, Pegula paused, looking a bit startled, before saying, “Erm, I thought you said Serena.” The interviewer Andrew Krasny then playfully added, “Yeah, so here’s a surprise, ladies and gentlemen, Serena…” to which Pegula laughed and responded, “I mean, you never know.”

As Sabalenka attained a 6-3, 5-3 lead in the second set of the final, her serve stats were commendable. She managed to secure a remarkable number by winning 27 out of 29 first-serve points, which made it an impressive 93.1% success rate. Even Tennis Channel’s Lindsay Davenport could not stop herself from appreciating Sabalenka’s dominance. “I’m not sure anyone can withstand this when a player is playing this well,” she said. This statement was also influenced by top-ranked Iga Swiatek’s 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Sabalenka in the semifinals.

Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula, who was drawing a comparison between Sabalenka and Serena, herself made a special record and joined Serena in an elite list.

Jessica Pegula adds her name to the elite list

Jessica Pegula made history by making it to the finals of two major WTA 1000 events in North America. This was possible because of her successful defense of the Canadian Open title. As she reached the final in Cincinnati, Pegula became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to make it to both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open finals in the same year. Only two other Americans, Williams and Rosie Casals, have accomplished this feat, making it a short queue that Pegula has now joined.

Casals reached both finals in 1970. While she won the title in Cincinnati, she faced a defeat in Canada. Williams, on the other hand, won the Canadian title in 2013 but couldn’t take the Cincinnati title home.

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Reflecting on her achievement, Pegula said, “I did not think I would be in a group with those names, but I’m so happy right now. I’ve been playing well, competing well, and it’s paying off.” Although the 30-year-old had to go home with the runner-up trophy, she still managed to bag an achievement that will be remembered for a lifetime.