"Unreal" - Jessica Pegula hails American swimmer Katie Ledecky as she surpasses Michael Phelps and wins record sixth world title

Jessica Pegula praised American swimmer Katie Ledecky for her remarkable achievement of clinching her sixth world title, surpassing the legendary Michael Phelps.

Ledecky secured her sixth consecutive women's 800-meter freestyle world title, emerging victorious at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships on Saturday, July 29, in Fukuoka, Japan. She completed the race in an impressive time of 8:08.87. With the win, the 26-year-old now holds the record for the longest winning streak in a single event in the history of championships.

Katie Ledecky's dominance in the pool is unparalleled. With her latest win, she has now claimed an astounding 16 individual gold medals, surpassing even the legendary Michael Phelps' record in terms of swimming world titles.

Reacting to the news, Jessica Pegula took to social media and expressed her disbelief, exclaiming:

"Unreal."

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Jessica Pegula to headline the 2023 Citi Open in Washington

Jessica Pegula at the 2019 Citi Open in Washington

Jessica Pegula's most recent appearance came at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Lauren Davis, Cristina Bucsa, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Lesia Tsurenko en route to her maiden quarterfinal at the grasscourt Major, where she lost to the eventual champion, Marketa Vondrousova.

The former World No. 3's defeat marked her sixth Grand Slam quarterfinal exit, having previously failed to progress past the last-eight stage at the Australian Open (2021, 2022, 2023), the French Open (2022), and the US Open (2022).

Pegula will kick off her North American hardcourt campaign at the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, set to take place from July 31 to August 6. The tournament holds a special significance for the American, as it was here that she secured her first-ever WTA singles title in 2019 when she was ranked 79th in the world.

Jessica Pegula is currently ranked World No. 4 and will be headlining the upcoming event as the top seed. With her sights set on her third career title and her first of the season, she will be determined to make her mark on the hardcourts. Earlier this year, she emerged as the runner-up at the WTA 500 Qatar Open.

As the defending champion in the doubles category, Pegula will also aim to replicate her success again this year. However, with hardly any points to defend from last year's singles event, where she crashed out in the second round, she will look for a chance to strengthen her position in the rankings chart.