Jessica Pegula gives her verdict on Emma Navarro's billionaire father Ben's groundbreaking prize money move for women's tennis

Jessica Pegula has shared her thoughts on Emma Navarro's father Ben's groundbreaking decision to substantially increase the prize money at the Charleston Open. The 31-year-old gave her honest opinion on the move after clinching her maiden clay court title at the WTA 500 event.

In the blockbuster all-American final, Pegula secured an impressive 6-3, 7-5 victory over compatriot Sofia Kenin after battling back from a 5-1 deficit in the second set. The World No. 3 received $164,000 for her triumph in Charleston, but she stands to double her prize money winnings if she successfully defends her title at the tournament in 2026.

Before the title clash, Emma Navarro's father Ben, who is worth $4.8 billion according to Forbes, announced that the WTA 500 event in Charleston would offer equal prize money to ATP 500 tournaments starting from next year. Navarro also pointed out that this will effectively double the earnings of next year's champion.

During her post-match press conference, Jessica Pegula hilariously quipped about missing out on the increased prize money.

"I was like, not this year? Not the year I won it? Come on. No, I’m just kidding," Jessica Pegula joked.

On a more serious note, the World No. 3 lavished praise on Ben Navarro for the "amazing" initiative and spoke about the impact of his support for the players. Pegula expressed her belief that the Charleston Open owner was likely inspired to invest more in women's tennis after watching his "superstar" daughter Emma Navarro's remarkable rise in the sport.

"I think that’s amazing. I mean, what Ben Navarro and the Navarro family has done for tennis in the U.S. and women’s tennis especially with doing that is really incredible, and I think he’s been inspired by seeing how well Emma has done and how much women’s tennis can really, really grow and her being a superstar in her own right," she said.

"I’m sure she’s going to probably win this title at some point, and that’ll be really cool. But I think her story has probably really inspired him to grow the sport, and I think that’s amazing, having a daughter that is as successful as she is it’s cool to see him support that sport," she added.

Jessica Pegula also asserted that it was very meaningful for Ben Navarro to make an effort to narrow the massive "discrepancy" in prize money between the ATP and WTA tours.

"To be the first person to do that, it’s huge" - Jessica Pegula hails Emma Navarro's father Ben's bold prize money move

Jessica Pegula - Source: Getty

Jessica Pegula further acknowledged that Emma Navarro's father Ben was the first WTA 500 event owner to take such a big step for women's tennis when it came to prize money. She expressed hope for the bold decision to encourage other tournaments to follow in the billionaire's footsteps.

"So to be able to kind of set the tone and be probably the first person, I think, to do that. Yeah, first 500, right? It’s huge. And I think when you’re setting that tone, that sets a trend for other tournaments to do the same. So that’s really, really cool," Jessica Pegula said during the same press conference.

The 31-year-old's praise for the groundbreaking move comes as no surprise, since she has joined other top 20 WTA and ATP players like Navarro in signing a letter to the organizers of the four Grand Slams demanding a prize money increase.

After her stellar victory at the Charleston Open, Jessica Pegula will be in action at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, along with Emma Navarro. The WTA 500 event is set to be held from April 14-21.