Jessica Pegula recently secured the 10th WTA Tour singles title of her career at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, just shy of her 32nd birthday on Feb. 24, 2026. Following her victory, Pegula spoke about how success in one’s career isn’t limited to youth, highlighting that one doesn’t have to be 18 to excel.
Seeded fourth at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Pegula began her tournament in the second round after receiving a bye. She defeated Varvara Gracheva, Iva Jovic, Clara Tauson, and Amanda Anisimova, reaching the final. There, she overcame Elina Svitolina with a score of 6-2, 6-4, claiming her fourth WTA 1000 title and her first title of the season.
After Dubai Triumph, Jessica Pegula Opens Up About Being ‘Proud’ of Her Accomplishments in Her Age
In a recent interview with WTA Tennis, Pegula reflected on her win at the Dubai Tennis Championships on the brink of turning 32. She shared that after overcoming several injuries in her early 20s, she “matured” and rediscovered her game.
The former world No. 3 stated that by winning and performing well, she hopes to inspire young girls to understand that they can continue to excel in tennis well into their 30s, provided they take care of their bodies and keep improving.
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“I’m old, you can say it. I don’t feel that old because I had so many injuries in my early 20s that I don’t think I’ve built up the wear and tear on tour yearly. I was hurt a lot. I was able to mature and find my game and believe in what I needed to do through the ups and downs. I hope I can inspire girls to show that you don’t have to be 20 years old. You can still play really good tennis if you take care of your body and keep improving,” Pegula said.
Pegula expressed that she is “proud” of her accomplishments at 32, reiterating that age isn’t a limitation in professional tennis.
“So, yeah, I’m really proud of myself that I can do that as a player at 32 now. I don’t think that’s necessarily the norm, but we saw that on the men’s tour and women, too. It’s a different age now. You don’t have to be 18 to do well. Playing someone like Elina, she’s doing the same thing. There’s a different crop of us that have done well at later stages, but you can always get better,” she added.
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Looking ahead, Pegula is set to defend her title at the 2026 ATX Open, which will take place from Feb. 23 to March 1, 2026. The tournament will be hosted on outdoor hard courts at The Westwood Country Club in Austin, Texas. Last year, she claimed the title by defeating McCartney Kessler in the final.
Pegula is the top seed for the 2026 ATX Open, and she will face Rebecca Šramková in the first round. The two players have met once before, in the first round of the 2015 USTA Women’s $25K Plantation Community Tennis Open, where Pegula won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
The winner of the first round match between Pegula and Šramková at the 2026 ATX Open will advance to face either Dalma Gálfi or wild card Bianca Andreescu in the second round.