"Sha'Carri Richardson was really sweet"- Jessica Pegula on meeting Simone Biles, 'super nice' Katie Ledecky & American sprinter at Paris Olympics

Jessica Pegula has reached the semifinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open by beating Leylah Fernandez. Following the win, the World No. 6 opened up about meeting American athletes Sha'Carri Richardson, Katie Ledecky, and Simone Biles at the Paris Olympics.

Pegula put up a dominant performance in the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open, where she trounced Fernandez 7-5, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3) and extended her winning streak to eight matches.

Speaking to Prakash Amritraj of "Tennis Channel" after her Cincinnati Open quarterfinals victory, Pegula opened up about her experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics and revealed meeting American athletes Katie Ledecky, Sha' Carri Richardson, and Simone Biles in the French capital.

"We did not have time to go see anybody, but, we met a lot of people at the village, Katie Ledecky was super nice. Simone (Biles), Sha'Carri Richardson was really really sweet, super talkative and nice, so, yeah, we got to meet a few athletes," she said (at 4:27)

She added:

"And then people from totally different sports that we had no idea, we met couple of Irish rugby players, women, that was cool. We met Ilona Maher, she was really funny. Like, such a personality, exactly like you seen on her content."

Pegula was a part of the USA Olympics team which comprised Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, and Desirae Krawczyk. She competed in the singles and women's doubles and reached the second round in both events. The American came up short against Elina Svitolina in the singles event and lost to the pairing of Linda Noskova and Karolina Michova in the doubles.

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"Want to come back in my next life as a track girl" - Jessica Pegula on Paris Olympics conclusion

After the Paris Olympics ended on 11th August, Jessica Pegula expressed her disappointment over the conclusion of the quadrennial event and remarked about the 'unmatched' entertainment the Games provided. Along with this, the 30-year-old also expressed her surprising wish of wanting to be a track and field athlete in her next life.

"Officially sad the Olympics is over. The social media content was unmatched and I want to come back in my next life as a track girl."

During a press conference at the 2024 Canadian Open, Pegula reflected on her time at the Paris Olympics and expressed her dissatisfaction over her performance at the 2024 Summer Games. However, she also added that she enjoyed her time with her team in the French capital.

"I couldn’t perform as I would have liked, but it was fun to spend time with the rest of the team," Jessica Pegula said. "Everything was chaotic; we went out of the village to have dinner, and we had to walk a lot because the traffic was jammed.”

Following her Olympics campaign, Pegula won the Canadian Open singles title for the second consecutive time after defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final. Seeded third in the tournament, she also became the first woman to defend her Canadian Open title since Martina Hingis, who achieved the feat in 1999 and 2000.

Jessica Pegula will next square off against Paula Badosa in the semifinal of the Cincinnati Open on August 18.