Jessica Pegula Confronts Bizarre Family Wealth Question After Aryna Sabalenka US Open Loss

The US Open journey was promising for Jessica Pegula, but it didn’t last as long as she had hoped. Entering the semifinals in high spirits to lock horns with world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, the pressure was always going to be immense. In the end, the American endured a gritty 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat to the Belarusian. As if the sting of that loss wasn’t enough, the aftermath threw her into an even stranger spotlight—having to confront a bizarre question about her family’s wealth.

Funny thing about press conferences is how quickly the topic can change. Just after wrapping up her quiz-a-quiz segment, and before she was about to leave, one journalist slipped in an unusual question for Pegula—asking whether the rumors were true that her family had arrived in Queens, New York City, on a yacht that was anchored somewhere along the shores of Long Island.

Interestingly, the 31-year-old American tennis star agreed before adding, “I think so. I don’t really know where they have been staying. They were anchored somewhere, but I haven’t been or seen them, or I just see them after the matches. So I’m not really sure what they’ve been doing on the other days,” revealing she doesn’t have the exact information on the whereabouts of her family, let alone being able to meet with them throughout this tournament.

Honestly, one shouldn’t be surprised to hear this, considering Pegula comes from a strong background. Her father, Terry Pegula, first made his fortune in the energy sector before venturing into sports ownership. His most prized asset is the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, which he purchased in 2014 and has since transformed into playoff regulars under Josh Allen. Today, the franchise is valued at around $6 billion—nearly four times the price the Pegula family originally paid.

Not to mention, Jessica’s parents, Terry and Kim—also owning the Buffalo Sabres—are worth $7 billion. Meanwhile, the 9-time singles title and 7-time doubles title winner has built her own fortune through her tennis career, amassing a net worth of over $13 million—about half of what her opponent today, Aryna Sabalenka, boasts at roughly $27.4 million.

So, it’s hardly a surprise that ahead of today’s women’s singles semifinal, Joe Pompliano reported that Jess Pegula’s father had anchored his $100 million yacht in Manhasset Bay, Long Island—just about a 30-minute drive from Arthur Ashe to watch her play. Either way, as Jessica Pegula herself admitted about her dad’s yacht journey, this move had already set off debate across half of the tennis community.

But in the end, it didn’t matter, as Terry Pegula’s grand gesture went in vain with his daughter crashing out of the tournament. Speaking of which, can we finally move on from discussing her family’s lavish lifestyle to what Jessica actually thinks about her defeat to Sabalenka?

Jessica Pegula admits being “much better” than Aryna Sabalenka today!

Already having endured early exits at Wimbledon, Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati, the US Open was a hope of glimmer for Jess. But facing Aryna Sabalenka meant being reminded of last year’s final and this year’s Miami clash. While those were the instances that saw her get dominated by the World No. 1, Pegula believes she did well in this one.

“I felt at the end, strategically, I played her much better than I have the last few times. Going into the next match, I kind of know what I need to do. Obviously, executing is a different story,” admitted the American veteran. “There were some very small things I could have done differently at the end.”

Pegula admitted she was nitpicking, explaining that when Sabalenka was hitting strong returns and blasting first-ball winners on the line, there was little she could do. She acknowledged that Sabalenka’s fearless style worked for her, adding that while she and many other players don’t play that way, it was simply too good from the Belarusian at key moments.

Little bit we do believe Jessica Pegula is right about her form, considering how the tournament has gone for her, having secured wins over the likes of Mayar Sheriff (6-0,6-4), Anna Blinkova (6-1,6-3), Victoria Azarenka (6-1,7-5), Ann Li (6-1,6-2), and Barbora Krejcikova (6-3,6-3) from the first round and straight till the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka showcased why she is considered the No. 1, who started her this year’s journey with victories over the likes of Rebeka Masarova (7-5,6-1), Polina Kudermetova (7-6,6-2), Leylah Fernandez (6-3, 7-6[2]), Cristina Bucșa (6-1,6-4), Markéta Vondrousova (walkover), and finally against Pegula today.

The Belarusian will now be facing American star Amanda Anisimova in the final, who enters with a close 7-6(4), 6(3)-7, 3-6 win over Naomi Osaka.

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