Jessica Pegula makes honest admission about Tokyo final loss to Veronika Kudermetova after China Open exit

Jessica Pegula has opened up about her defeat to Veronika Kudermetova in the Japan Open final following her exit from the 2023 China Open.

Pegula kicked off her Asian swing at the WTA 500 event in Tokyo. She secured dominant straight sets victories over Cristina Bucsa, Daria Kastakina and Maria Sakkari, setting up a clash with Veronika Kudermetova in the final.

The American got off to a rough start to the final, surrendering a 0-3 lead to Kudermetova. Despite bouncing back strongly, the World No. 4 stumbled on serve at 5-6 in the opener, hitting consecutive double faults and allowing the Russian to claim the first set.

Kudermetova raised her level in the second set, captializing on two break points to secure a 7-5, 6-1 victory and clinch her second WTA title. The Russian put on a commanding performance, finishing with 17 winners to Pegula's seven.

Following her defeat, Jessica Pegula traveled to Beijing for the WTA 1000 China Open. The World No. 4 kicked off her campaign with a comeback win over Anna Blinkova in the opening round. However, she was unable to progress further as she suffered a straight sets defeat to Jelena Ostapenko.

Pegula has since arrived in Seoul for the WTA 250 Korea Open, which is scheduled to commence on October 9. Upon her arrival in South Korea, the American took to social media and inquired about how she could watch the Buffalo Bills take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 8.

The Buffalo Bills NFL team is owned by Pegula's parents, Terry and Kim.

"Hello - any recommendations where to watch the @BuffaloBills game in Seoul, South Korea this weekend? My Korean Bills fans LMK! #BillsMafia," Jessica Pegula posted on X.

While several fans obliged with suggestions, one fan sarcastically remarked that they were still searching for the 29-year-old after she completely disappeared during her final against Kudermetova.

"Still trying to find you from that finals disappearance vs Kudermetova," the fan commented.

In response, Pegula stated that she was doing the same.

"Same," she responded.

"Jessica Pegula is a great player, a great fighter" - Veronika Kudermetova after defeating American in Tokyo final

Jessica Pegula and Veronika Kudermetova

Following her win over Jessica Pegula in the Japan Open final, Veronika Kudermetova expressed her admiration for the American's relentless fighting spirit.

"Jessica is a great player, she’s a great fighter, and I prepared myself for the fight. When it was 5-5 in the first set, I just said to myself, ‘Veronika, you just need to fight, you just need to do everything that you can,' and I did," she said in her post-match interview.

Pegula, meanwhile, took to social media and posted a series of pictures from her time in Japan. Although she conveyed her disappointment at falling short in the final, the World No. 4 graciously congratulated Kudermetova for her performance.

"Didn’t get the title but a great week in Tokyo 🥰 so nice seeing all the Japanese fans! Congrats to Veronika on a great week. 🇯🇵 @torayppo," Jessica Pegula captioned her Instagram post.

Jessica Pegula will be in action at the Korea Open next, set to take place from October 9-15. She will be joined by Jelena Ostapenko, Marie Bouzkova and Sofia Kenin, among others, at the WTA 250 event.