Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend & others react to Jessica Pegula congratulating winner Veronika Kudermetova after finishing as runner-up at Japan Open

Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend and several others from the tennis world have reacted to Jessica Pegula's impressive performance at the 2023 Japan Open, where she finished as the runner-up. They have also commended her for graciously congratulating her opponent Veronika Kudermetova, who emerged as the champion.

Kudermetova defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-1 to win her second career WTA singles title, ending a two-and-a-half-year drought.

With the win, the Russian maintained her unbeaten record against Pegula. In their solitary prior meeting, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Madrid Open, Kudermetova emerged victorious 6-4, 0-6, 6-4.

Following her defeat, Jessica Pegula took to social media to share a series of pictures from her time in Japan. While expressing her disappointment at not emerging victorious in the final, the American graciously extended her congratulations to Veronika Kudermetova.

"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," Pegula captioned her Instagram post.

Numerous tennis players, including Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Asia Muhammad, and others reacted to Pegula's post.

"👏🏾 👏🏾 🔥 🔥 ," Gauff commented.

"👏🏾 🔥 ❤️ ," Townsend wrote.

"Yaaaassss Jess 👏👏🔥❤️🔥," Asia Muhammad wrote.

"🔥🔥🔥," Saisai Zheng wrote.

Screen grab of players' reactions to Jessica Pegula's post

A look at Jessica Pegula's performances in the 2023 season so far

Jessica Pegula at the 2023 Japan Pan Pacific Open

Jessica Pegula is having an exceptional 2023 season, reaching new heights in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

In singles, Pegula started the year by playing a pivotal role in helping the United States win the inaugural United Cup. Continuing her impressive run, she advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, marking her fifth appearance at that stage of a Grand Slam.

The American continued her impressive form at the Qatar Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships, securing a spot in the final and the semifinals, respectively. She also advanced to the semifinals of the Miami Open.

Pegula then commenced her claycourt season by competing at the Charleston Open and Madrid Open, where she advanced to the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively. However, her performance at the Italian Open was rather disappointing as she suffered a defeat in the third round against Elise Mertens.

The 29-year-old performed well during the grass season as she reached the quarterfinals of both the Eastbourne and the Wimbledon Championships. Building on that success, she advanced to the semifinals at the prestigious Citi Open in Washington DC.

Pegula clinched her second WTA 1000 title in Montreal, beating Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in the final.

Pegula has achieved remarkable success in doubles competitions as well, partnering with Coco Gauff. Together, they won the title at Doha and Miami, while also making it to the finals in Madrid and Rome.

The pair's exceptional performance continued as they reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, French Open and Eastbourne, and secured a spot in the quarterfinals at the Dubai, Montreal and US Open.

Following her runner-up finish at the 2023 Toray Pan Pacific Open, Jessica Pegula will next compete at the China Open. She will go head-to-head against Anna Blinkova in the second round (Round of 64).