Jessica Pegula is one of the best players on the WTA tour. She achieved her career-high doubles ranking of No. 1 in September 2023 and her career-high singles ranking of No. 3 in October 2022. Pegula has made the quarterfinals of three Grand Slam singles, including thrice at the Australian Open (2021, 2022, and 2023). She also made the final of the French Open in doubles with Coco Gauff in 2022. Pegula reached her first singles Grand Slam semifinal at the 2024 US Open, defeating World No. 1 Iga Świątek in the quarterfinals.
Jessica Pegula, who began playing tennis at seven, made her Grand Slam debut at the US Open in 2015. She won her first WTA singles title at the Citi Open in 2019 and has won seven singles titles in her career as of March 2025, including the 2024 Canadian Open and the 2024 Cincinnati Open. In doubles, she has won seven titles, as of 2025. The current season has been quite successful for Pegula as she emerged victorious at the 2025 ATX Open, thus winning her seventh single title and defeating McCartney Kessler in the final by 7-5, 6-2. Her success continued as she reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 Qatar Open but lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova. She suffered a defeat against Madison Keys in the final of the 2025 Adelaide International by 3-6, 6-4, 1-6.
Jessica Pegula Coach
Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein are Jessica Pegula's coaches as of March 2025. Both Knowles and Merklein are former professional tennis players from America. Knowles was a doubles player who won three Grand Slam titles in his career and achieved the career-high ranking of No. 1. On the other hand, Merklein, who is a doubles player, is included in the University of Florida athletic hall of fame as a Gator Great. He was selected as the tennis assistant coach for the University of Florida in 2013.
David Witt coached Jessica Pegula from 2019 to February 2024. They started working together in 2019. Witt is a former American player who became a professional coach after retiring. In his coaching career, she worked with many big players, including the seven-time grand slam champion Venus Williams. He worked with Venus Williams for 11 years, and their partnership ended in December 2018.
In July 2019, Witt started working with Jessica Pegula. Under his guidance, Pegula became No. 1 in doubles and No. 3 in singles. She won singles (four) and doubles (seven) titles while working with Witt. However, in February 2024, Pegula announced she was ending her coaching relationship with David Witt. She did not mention any reason behind her decision.
Subsequently, her ex-coach David Witt said the decision surprised him. He said:
"It was a total surprise to me. Never saw it coming. We’ve had a great friendship for five years, so it’s very tough. I really value my relationship with my players just as much as I love coaching. It’s a tough business. I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve only been with two players for the last 15 years. The hard work she put in and we put in, was something to remember. Seeing your player succeed is the best feeling in the world."
Following the split, Jessica Pegula hired Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein as her head coaches. She has won two singles titles under their guidance as of 2024.
How Many Titles Has Jessica Pegula Won?
American player Jessica Pegula has won seven singles and seven doubles titles as of March 2025. Her six singles titles include three WTA 1000 titles. She won her first WTA 1000 title at the Guadalajara Open in 2022, defeating Maria Sakkari in the final. Her second WTA 1000 title came at the Canadian Open in 2023, where she defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the final in straight sets. She also made the final of the 2023 WTA Finals. In August 2024, Pegula won her third WTA 1000 title by defending her Canadian Open crown.
Pegula also won the WTA 1000 title in doubles with Gauff at the 2023 Miami Open. The pair defeated Taylor Townsend and Leylah Fernandez in the 2023 Miami Open final. In 2024, she won the Berlin Open on grass by defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final.
FAQ's on Jessica Pegula Coaches
A. Jessica Pegula is 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall.
A. Jessica Pegula married Taylor Gahagen in 2021.
A. No, Jessica Pegula has not won a Grand Slam title as of March 2025.
A. Yes, Jessica Pegula graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015 with a degree in Communication and a minor in Administration of Justice.
A. Yes, Jessica Pegula's parents Terry and Kim Pegula, are owners of the Buffalo Bills of the NFL and the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL.
