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January 23, 2022,
In a stunning display of craftiness, strategic artistry, blended power, nerves of steel and resilience, America’s Jessica Pegula took out the favored Maria Sakkari, in two sets 7-6 (7-0) and 6-3, in the fourth round of this year’s 2022 Australian Open.
Jessica is moving on to the quarter finals of a major Grand Slam.
Her second time here at the Australian Open, as she did in 2021.
This time however, things feel very different.
Much better, different.
Jessica has reached the fourth round before but rarely by defeating a top ranked player.
Recently she has been doing that quite a bit as she has ascended to being the third highest ranked American player in the WTA behind Coco Gauff and Sofia Kenin.
That will change after this Slam as Coco and Sofia were shown the exits in the first round and Jessica is alive, out smarting and out playing her opponents.
The Buffalo, New York native will soon be the highest ranked American player in the world.
Just saying this, as little as two years ago, would be a shocker.
Truthfully and happily, we are still digesting her amazing rise.
Even now, it is taking a minute to let it all soak in.
In 2019, here is what Femcompetitor Magazine analyzed about her, “What gift do you give to a person, from the outside looking in, who seems to have everything, and if they don’t, could get it very quickly?
Not an easy decision.
Ascending tennis star Jessica Pegula seems to have everything.
She’s the daughter of Buffalo Bills’ owner Terry Pegula who is a natural gas tycoon as well.
Jessica is also the daughter of Kim Pegula whose resume includes being the President of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, which is the holding company that manages the Bills as well as the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, Buffalo Bandits and Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League, HarborCenter and Black River Entertainment, an independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee.
It’s hard to say all of that resume without taking at least two breaths.
When you have parents with those qualifications, you probably could ask for virtually anything you want in a material way.
No doubt what Jessica wants is something that her parents cannot give her and she has to earn it herself.
At some point, isn’t that what all of us want? To make our own way.
In Jessica’s case, what might she want? For starters, perhaps whenever some media outlet brings her name up, not to preface it with the daughter of the Buffalo Bills owners.
We all want to make a name for ourselves by accomplishing something unique and powerful.
In the tennis world she finally did.
As reported at the Washington Post, on August 4, 2019, at 25 years old, Jessica won her first WTA singles title, arguably the biggest win of her professional tennis career, by beating Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-2, 6-2 at the Citi Open.
The 62nd-ranked Giorgi was hoping for her third title.
When you view Jessica’s tennis career; that actually is a very big deal. Twenty five is very young for many traditional careers but not tennis.
As of this August 16, 2019 writing, Jessica is ranked number 56 in the world.
That is an all-time high. She truly is ascending. When you look at her professional tennis history, which began in 2009, it is intriguing that it took her ten years to crack the top 100.
In 2012 she rose to 147, only to see her rankings keep sliding until she was lodged at 632 in 2017.”
Do you see our point?
Pinch yourself.
From 632 in the world, in 2017, to who knows how high, once this tournament ends.
She is currently ranked at 22, before the Aussie Open.
Even surging into the quarters will make her rankings needle rise tremendously.
To place some of this in perspective, this is why performing at the Slams is so important.
As reported by the team at essentiallysports.com, speaking of the once world’s number one dominant player, Naomi Osaka, “She will now go as low as World No. 84. For a former World No. 1 player, this comes as a huge disappointment. Post the Australian Open 2022, there are other prominent names that will suffer in the rankings as well. Superstars Serena Williams and Venus Williams will be facing a similar fate as the Japanese star. While Serena will drop to 244, Venus will plummet to the 461st spot.”
Confirmation of that was posted by tennishead.net who shared, “After so much time away from the court in 2021, and having crashed out in Melbourne in the third round, the four-time Major champion will now drop 1870 of those 2000 points she was defending from the 2021 event.
That will see Osaka fall at least 70 places to 84th in the world with 826 ranking points.”
As the expression goes, that is why you play the games.
Or, at least you better.
Sometimes taking long breaks is necessary. Respectfully speaking, Both Naomi and Serena have recently done that.
Actions do have consequences however.
How that translates at future tournaments for Naomi is, instead of essentially getting a pass into the third round by squashing lower ranked opponents near the 100 range in rounds one and two, instead, you now become the lower ranked opponent and in the first round you could face, say, someone like Ash Barty, right from the get go.
And you know what?
You better bring your “A” game pronto.
No wiggle room for a bad day.
The more you lose, the worse your rankings become. It becomes a circular nightmare.
American 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens knows that all too well, having to face Madison Keys in the first round at the 2021 US Open, followed up by highly ranked Coco Gauff and finally Germany’s Angelique Kerber who knocked her out in the third round.
How would you like to enter a tournament with that player schedule in front of you?
Who did Sloane face in the first round of this 2022 Australian Open?
2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who defeated Sloane, winning 14 games to seven.
So, way to go Jessica.
The way she moved fierce Maria Sakkari around the court with strategic shots was brilliant.
The way she stared down Maria’s hardest shots was courageous.
Even after losing three games in a row in the first set, she righted the ship and came back and secured it by winning the tie breaker 7-0.
Simply amazing.
Though a long time coming, and more matches to play, this could be Jessica’s finest hour.
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