Jessica Pegula jokes about not wanting to like Aryna Sabalenka after third defeat in final to Belarusian at Miami Open

Jessica Pegula amusingly quipped about not liking Aryna Sabalenka after losing to the Belarusian in the final of the 2025 Miami Open. This is Pegula's third consecutive loss to Sabalenka in the final of an American tournament.

Top seed Sabalenka took on fourth seed Pegula in the summit clash of the final hard-court WTA 1000 event before the European clay swing, and the contest turned out to be fairly intriguing. However, it was the Belarusian who dug deep to win her second title of the year with a 7-5, 6-2 win.

It is worth noting that this was Pegula's third consecutive showpiece clash defeat to Aryna Sabalenka on home soil, following her defeats at the Cincinnati Open (2024) and the US Open (2024). She has also lost all these matches in straight sets. Addressing the defeat during the trophy presentation, the American said,

“Congrats Aryna to you and your team. 3 finals. I really don’t wanna like you right now but you’re the best player in the world for a reason. You keep pushing and challenging everyone to get better. Congrats for an amazing couple of weeks here. Great tournament at Indian Wells too. The last month of tennis you’ve been able to play is amazing.”

The American No. 2 had suffered a fourth-round exit in Indian Wells but bounced back in style in Miami, defeating Bernarda Pera, 32nd seed Anna Kalinskaya, 23rd seed Marta Kostyuk, Emma Raducanu, and teenage wonder Alexandra Eala to reach the final.

Pegula had some lovely words for her team, friends, family, and fans during the presentation.

"It's been awesome to be able to play here for everyone" - Jessica Pegula

Miami Open Presented by Itau 2025 - Day 12 - Source: Getty

Jessica Pegula didn't forget to thank the people who helped her with her incredible run at the 2025 Miami Open. She also thanked the fans who came to watch her play and said it was "awesome" to play for them.

"Thank you to my team over at the box. My family, my coach Mark, Spencer's my hitting partner, Sarah, my physio, John, my trainer. At home, my husband, my brother, and sister. I have a lot of friends and family here in South Florida, so it's been awesome to be able to play here for everyone to come watch me play. I really appreciate you guys," Pegula said during the trophy presentation.

With her Miami open run, Pegula is currently fifth in the live rankings of the WTA Finals race. The top spot is held by the champion Aryna Sabalenka.