In a surprising turn of events, both Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the highest-ranked American female tennis players, have chosen not to represent the United States at the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals. With Gauff currently ranked at No. 3 in the world and Pegula at No. 4, their absence has left a significant void in the American team.
This week, the United States announced its selected nominees for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, to be held in Sevilla. The team includes Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins, Sloane Stephens, and Taylor Townsend, who will step in to represent the nation in the absence of Gauff and Pegula.
Gauff and Pegula have decided to conclude their season at the WTA Finals, which will be taking place in Cancun from October 29th to November 5th. Both Gauff, at 19 years old, and 29-year-old Pegula, are set to make their second appearance at this prestigious season-ending tournament. Notably, while Pegula participates in the ongoing WTA event in Seoul, Gauff had to withdraw from this week’s WTA 500 event in Zhengzhou.
After a recent loss in the Beijing semifinals to Iga Swiatek, Gauff expressed her intention to compete in the WTA Finals and then use the offseason to focus on honing her skills. She articulated her goals for the future, stating,
“I accomplished that goal. I’m really proud of myself. I think that I have a lot to improve on. So I think that’s what makes me excited for next year. After WTA Finals, I have some more weeks to practice and improve. I do notice my game gets better every time I go through even a two-week break of just practicing. I’m really proud of myself. Hopefully, next year, I can continue this consistency, maybe not 16 in a row on a consistent level, but as long as I can string along some wins, 1000 title wins, and hopefully a Grand Slam would be a great goal for me next year,” Gauff concluded.
As Gauff and Pegula gear up for the WTA Finals, tennis fans will eagerly anticipate their performances in this prestigious season-ending tournament, marking the end of a remarkable season for both players.
Coco Gauff in 2023
LWWWWLWWLW At the moment ranked no.3 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 7th of October when she lost to world no.2 Iga Swiatek 6-2 6-3 in the semifinal in Beijing (draw).
At the moment, during this season Coco achieved a compiled 49-14 record. The American has won 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Pegula in Seoul, ranking, and results in 2023
Ranked world no.4, Jessica has an overall 51-17 win-loss record in 2023. The American is currently playing in Seoul where she beat the world no.112 Viktoria Hruncakova 6-2 6-4.
Jessica Pegula will face the world no.80 Ashlyn Krueger in the 2nd round. In the past, they have never competed against each other till now in top events.
Jessica has won 2 titles in 2023 in Australia and Montreal. Pegula was the finalist in Doha (Qatar TotalEnergies Open) and in Tokyo (Toray Pan Pacific Open).
Pegula won 4 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula fought against each other 3 times. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Pegula. Before, the last time they locked horns, Jessica Pegula won 6-2 5-7 7-5 in the quarter in Montreal (Omnium Banque Nationale) on the 11th of August 2023.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula |
| Embed from Getty Images |
