Jessica Pegula is on a determined quest for her first major singles title at the 2025 Australian Open. Ranked world No. 6, Pegula made significant adjustments to her schedule last year in pursuit of Grand Slam success.
At 30, Pegula has already proven herself as an accomplished doubles player, previously teaming up with rising star Coco Gauff. Together, they achieved the world No. 1 doubles ranking and won five titles. However, following a surprise second-round exit at the Olympics last summer, both Pegula and Gauff reconsidered their doubles commitments to focus on their singles careers.
In September, Pegula made the bold decision to skip the US Open doubles event, shifting her focus solely to singles. This change resulted in her best major performance to date, as she reached the singles final in New York. She had already hinted that she and Gauff had no immediate plans to reunite in doubles, with both players setting their sights on singles glory.
“For me, I’m not sure. I know Coco isn’t interested in playing, or at least we’re not thinking of playing together for now, so I’ll probably take it easy on the doubles this year,” Pegula said during her successful run at the Canadian Open in August. “I’ll just play whenever I feel like it and focus more on singles.”
That decision paid off as Pegula reached her first Grand Slam final just a month later. As the 2025 tennis season begins, she remains confident in her approach. After reaching the final of the Adelaide International earlier this month, Pegula feels optimistic about her chances at the Australian Open.
“I think the conditions here really suit my game,” Pegula told Stan Sport. “The courts are medium fast, and the balls fly through the air, which works well with how I hit. I always feel comfortable playing here, and every time I come to Australia, I feel like I play really good tennis.”
Having reached three consecutive quarterfinals at the Australian Open before last year, Pegula started this year’s campaign with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 win over Australia’s Maya Joint. She now moves on to face Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the second round, with hopes of making an even deeper run.
