“Not spoken about enough in the Big 3 of Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, and why not?” - Serena Williams' ex-coach on Jessica Pegula

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs has called for Jessica Pegula to get as much respect as the 'big three' of women's tennis - Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek.

Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Swiatek have been the biggest names on the WTA Tour in recent years, winning a plethora of major titles. Before Marketa Vondrusova's Wimbledon Championships triumph this year, the trio held all four Grand Slams. They were also occupying the top three spots in the ranking charts before Pegula recently became the World No. 3, replacing Rybakina.

In fact, Pegula only made her top-100 debut in the WTA rankings four years ago - a stat that underlines her quick rise on the circuit.

At the Canadian Open last week, Pegula emerged victorious, beating the likes of Swiatek and Coco Gauff en route to her second WTA 1000 title. It was her third career title and the first of the season.

Speaking about Pegula on Prime Video's Sports Talk show, former doubles World No. 1 Stubbs questioned why the 29-year-old American doesn't get talked about enough despite her racking up wins consistently.

“What about her game? Again, sort of not that big hitting sexy player as you talked about with Tommy Paul, but she also sort of just keeps getting win after win and it's not spoken about enough in the big three of Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek, and why not?” she asked.

With her Canadian Open win, Pegula became the first American since Serena Williams in 2013 to win the title. She is also just the third American to win multiple WTA 1000 titles, after Serena and Venus Williams.

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Jessica Pegula's Cincinnati Open run ends at the hands of Marie Bouzkova

Jessica Pegula at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.

Jessica Pegula has been one of the most consistent players at the WTA 1000 level over the past three seasons. However, she failed to carry her winning momentum from the Canadian Open to the Cincinnati Open, exiting the tournament in the Round of 16.

Montreal champion Pegula began her Cincinnati campaign with a 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 comeback win over Martina Trevisan. It was her 30th hardcourt win at the WTA 1000 level this year, moving ahead of Iga Swiatek for the most on the tour.

The third seed's run, sadly, came to an end in the following round as her six-match winning streak was ended by Marie Bouzkova, who stunned the American 6-4, 6-0 to book her spot in the quarterfinals. The win, incidentally, was Bouzkova's 10th career win over a top-10 player.