Fasten your seatbelts as American billionaire heiresses Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro are all set to take on each other in the QF of the 2025 Bad Homburg Open. Pegula’s father, Terry, owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, while Navarro’s father, Ben, runs the Sherman Financial Group. But for now, it’s time to switch from who’s richer to who’s better between these two tennis stars. Both of them have already tasted title triumphs in 2025, and now, it’s time to showcase their brilliance on grass courts ahead of Wimbledon. Who has the edge in this epic all-American clash?

Jessica Pegula vs Emma Navarro: Preview

Jessica Pegula’s season started with a summit clash appearance at the Adelaide International, but over there she was defeated by her compatriot Madison Keys in a three-set thriller. Following that, she faced an early exit at the AO, but a few weeks later, she tasted her first success of this season at the ATX Open. She defeated McCartney Kessler by 7-5,6-2 in the final of that tournament. Later on, although she reached the final in Miami, Pegula was defeated by the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka. But shortly after that, she managed to secure her second title of the season in Charleston.

Jessica Pegula was knocked out of the 2025 French Open by the local star, Lois Boisson, in the fourth round, which was then followed by yet another shocking early exit in her first match on the grass court swing in Berlin. However, she has started her Bad Homburg Open campaign on a positive note by defeating Katerina Siniakova (CZE) by 6-2,6-3 in the R16. Pegula needed just 66 minutes to outclass the qualifier Siniakova in this match. Can she put up a similar dominating performance in her next match against Navarro?

Well, this will be Emma Navarro’s seventh QF appearance this season. Earlier this year, she reached the QF of the AO, but she failed to deliver at the French Open, where she was knocked out by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (ESP) by 0-6,1-6 in the first round. Navarro’s biggest success this season came in March of this year when she managed to win the title at the Merida Open Akron. Talking about this match against Pegula, she will be entering this contest following two impressive victories in her previous two matches. In the first match, she defeated Marta Kostyuk (UKR) in straight sets, while in the R16 she took down the four-time major champion Naomi Osaka by 6-4,6-4.

Emma Navarro needed 1 hour and 27 minutes to beat the Japanese star, and with this victory, she has now taken her record to 8-2 in this tournament. When asked about her approach for her next match, she said, “Oh man, I can’t say too much. I am playing Jessica [Pegula] next round, and she might be listening from the hotel, so I can’t give away too much. I got to keep my cards close to my chest.” After seeing these comments getting viral on social media, Jessica Pegula came up with a hilarious response to Tennis Channel’s post. She wrote, “gurl I was sitting in the corner watching 🤣.“

Despite this playful social media exchange, Navarro did heap praise on her compatriot in her post-match interview by saying, “Jess is awesome, she’s been a really great role model for me coming up.” Who has the edge in their H2H record, though?

Pegula vs Navarro: Head-to-Head

Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro have met each other only once in their careers so far. The 31-year-old had the better of Navarro at that time, and hence, their current H2H record is in favor of Pegula (1-0).

• 2024 Miami Open R4: Pegula 7-6(1),6-3.

Prediction: Pegula will win this all-American clash in three sets

Emma Navarro has reached the SF of this tournament in the previous two editions (2023,2024). So, she will be keen to make it three out of three this time, but can she do it? Well, it’d seem to be a bit tough for her to beat someone like Pegula, who has been in red-hot form this season. Jessica Pegula has a win-loss record of 32-12 this season, and if we take a look at her overall record on grass, it’s currently 30-12. Now, drawing a comparison with Navarro, the 24-year-old has a win-loss record of 21-15 this season, and her overall record on grass is just 18-8. Pegula is currently ranked third in the world, while Navarro is placed in the tenth spot. 

So, just like their H2H record, even in the rankings, Jessica Pegula has an edge. Pegula’s best performance in this tournament was reaching the second round in 2021. But since then, she has covered a lot of miles. So, considering all these factors, we’re keeping her ahead in this match.

Talking about their playing styles, Emma Navarro is known for her versatile and creative style of play with a strong emphasis on precision and consistency. She likes to mix up her shots in the rallies, utilizing drop shots and slices to full effect along with her nimble footwork. Navarro has an incredible ability to draw errors from her opponents, but her biggest concern at the moment has been her serve. She has hit 49 aces this season, but committed 108 double faults.

On the other hand, Jessica Pegula is known for her aggressive, flat groundstrokes, powerful forehand, and consistent play. She loves to push her opponents on the back foot with her powerful shots. Dictating the play from the baseline and showcasing tactical brilliance are two key factors in Pegula’s game. Her biggest strength is the backhand-down-the-line shot, which she uses effectively to dictate the rallies. We strongly feel Pegula’s game on this surface will be more effective than Navarro’s. What say you?