Jessica Pegula hasn’t been at her best recently, as she heads into the US Open struggling for form.
After Pegula won the Bad Homburg Open on the grass, she looked set to challenge for the title at Wimbledon.
It wasn’t to be, however, as Pegula lost her opening match at Wimbledon in straight sets against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
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Looking to bounce back on North American hard courts, Pegula lost to Leylah Fernandez in her opening match in Washington.
Two more early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati followed, as Pegula now prepares to make her US Open return, having lost four of her last five matches.
However, the reason behind her poor run of form may just have been revealed by a top WTA doubles player.
Ellen Perez says she and Jessica Pegula have been complaining about the tennis balls used recently
During the latest episode of ‘The Tennis’, doubles star Ellen Perez recalled some of the conversations she’s been having with Pegula about the tennis balls used on tour.
“I’m not the only one complaining,” said Perez.
“Me and Jessica Pegula were talking about this. We’ve consulted with a lot of the players, and honestly thought these were a bad batch of balls for the hard-court swing.
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“We’ve not liked the feeling.”
Both Pegula and Perez have struggled in North America this year, with both players losing early at the Washington Open and Canadian Open.
Washington Open results2R – Jessica Pegula lost to Leylah Fernandez2R – Ellen Perez/Maya Joint lost to Xu Yifan/Yang ZhaoxuanCanadian Open results1R – Ellen Perez/Lyudmyla Kichenok beat Lidumila Samsonova/Nicole Melichar-Martinez2R – Jessica Pegula beat Maria Sakkari2R – Ellen Perez/Lyudmyla Kichenok lost to Coco Gauff/McCartney Kessler3R – Jessica Pegula lost to Anastasija Sevastova
However, unlike Pegula, Perez has managed to rediscover her form in Cincinnati, reaching the quarterfinals, as she claims the balls are better than they were in Washington and Montreal.
“I would say that in Cincinnati, they’re feeling a little more like the balls we’re used to playing with at the US Open in the past years,” she said.
Perez has also been helped by the ‘tough’ conditions in Cincinnati, which she thrives in.
“The conditions here are tough,” she said.
“The ball flies a lot, the courts are one of the fastest courts on tour, and with the hot-humid conditions, it’s not easy to control it at times.
“All I can say is thank god I’m playing doubles and not singles because the conditions are tough.
“I wouldn’t want to be out there playing three hours in these conditions, but for doubles, I love it, I thrive in hot conditions.”
Perez will hope she continues to ‘thrive’ when she and partner Lyudmyla Kichenok play Lidumila Samsonova and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals on Thursday, August 14.
Pegula, on the other hand, has a lot of thinking to do over the next week or so, as she prepares to return to the US Open, where she reached the final 12 months ago.
Jessica Pegula’s remarkable run to the 2024 US Open final
Heading to Flushing Meadows as the number-six seed, Pegula was a dark horse for the 2024 US Open and quickly displayed her title-winning credentials.
The home-favorite made light work of her first four opponents, qualifying for her seventh career Grand Slam quarterfinal.
RoundOpponentScoreGames dropped1RShelby Rogers6-4, 6-372RSofia Kenin7-6, 6-393RJessica Bouzas Maneiro6-3, 6-364RDiana Shnaider [18]6-4, 6-26Jessica Pegula at the 2024 US Open
There, she met Poland’s Iga Swiatek, a former US Open champion, who had won their most recent clash at the 2023 WTA Finals.
Stunning the Pole in straight sets, Pegula defeated Swiatek 6-2, 6-4, to secure her fourth win over a world number one.
Moving into the semifinals of a major for the first time in her career, Pegula got off to the worst possible start, dropping the first set 1-6 to Czechia’s Karolina Muchova.
Refusing to give up, Pegula miraculously battled back, booking her place in the final with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.
Unfortunately for Pegula, winning the title was a step too far, as she came up short against Aryna Sabalenka in the final 5-7, 5-7.
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She’ll no doubt look to return to the final in 2025, but would’ve hoped for a few better results leading into this year’s US Open.
The 2025 US Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 24.