It wasn\u2019t to be, however, as Pegula lost her opening match at Wimbledon<\/a> in straight sets against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.<\/p>\n Looking to bounce back on North American hard courts, Pegula<\/a> lost to Leylah Fernandez in her opening match in Washington.<\/p>\n Two more early exits in Montreal and Cincinnati followed, as Pegula now prepares to make her US Open<\/a> return, having lost four of her last five matches.<\/p>\n However, the reason behind her poor run of form may just have been revealed by a top WTA<\/a> doubles player.<\/p>\n Ellen Perez says she and Jessica Pegula have been complaining about the tennis balls used recently<\/p>\n During the latest episode of \u2018The Tennis\u2019, doubles star Ellen Perez recalled some of the conversations she\u2019s been having with Pegula about the tennis balls used on tour.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the only one complaining,\u201d said Perez.<\/p>\n \u201cMe and Jessica Pegula were talking about this. We\u2019ve consulted with a lot of the players, and honestly thought these were a bad batch of balls for the hard-court swing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve not liked the feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Pegula and Perez have struggled in North America this year, with both players losing early at the Washington Open and Canadian Open<\/a>.<\/p>\n Washington Open results2R \u2013 Jessica Pegula lost to Leylah Fernandez2R \u2013 Ellen Perez\/Maya Joint lost to Xu Yifan\/Yang ZhaoxuanCanadian Open results1R \u2013 Ellen Perez\/Lyudmyla Kichenok beat Lidumila Samsonova\/Nicole Melichar-Martinez2R \u2013 Jessica Pegula beat Maria Sakkari2R \u2013 Ellen Perez\/Lyudmyla Kichenok lost to Coco Gauff\/McCartney Kessler3R \u2013 Jessica Pegula lost to Anastasija Sevastova<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that in Cincinnati, they\u2019re feeling a little more like the balls we\u2019re used to playing with at the US Open in the past years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Perez has also been helped by the \u2018tough\u2019 conditions in Cincinnati, which she thrives in.<\/p>\n \u201cThe conditions here are tough,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ball flies a lot, the courts are one of the fastest courts on tour, and with the hot-humid conditions, it\u2019s not easy to control it at times.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I can say is thank god I\u2019m playing doubles and not singles because the conditions are tough.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to be out there playing three hours in these conditions, but for doubles, I love it, I thrive in hot conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Perez will hope she continues to \u2018thrive\u2019 when she and partner Lyudmyla Kichenok play Lidumila Samsonova and Nicole Melichar-Martinez in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals on Thursday, August 14.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Jessica Pegula\u2019s remarkable run to the 2024 US Open final<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The home-favorite made light work of her first four opponents, qualifying for her seventh career Grand Slam quarterfinal.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n There, she met Poland\u2019s Iga Swiatek<\/a>, a former US Open champion, who had won their most recent clash at the 2023 WTA Finals.<\/p>\n Stunning the Pole in straight sets, Pegula defeated Swiatek<\/a> 6-2, 6-4, to secure her fourth win over a world number one.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Karolina Muchova<\/a>.<\/p>\n Refusing to give up, Pegula miraculously battled back, booking her place in the final with a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win.<\/p>\n![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2223043389-1-1024x720.jpg\")
Photo by Dan Istitene\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2229991264-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Frey\/TPN\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2170742023-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images<\/p>\n