If Pegula is to ascend higher, she’ll need to continue doing what she did so well for the majority of 2022: lacing her groundstrokes off both wings; using the complete court to help disrupt opponents (Pegula is quite comfortable at net, having qualified for the WTA Finals in singles at doubles); remain an all-surface threat.
Of course, if all of that happens but the biggest wins don’t come, Pegula’s passion can quickly turn to frustration—something we saw by year’s end, during an 0-3 stretch at the season-ending championships (Pegula also went 0-3 in doubles with Coco Gauff).
“I feel like I’ve played some good tennis and some good matches, but not being able to get any wins is always difficult,” Pegula said in Fort Worth.
Like in most sports, it feels like it will take just one significant victory to set off a chain of others, and in this case, to release what may be the absolute best version of Pegula. Her biggest positive may actually be her reaction to the negative. Despite all Pegula that achieved, there was no sign of satisfaction. And given her steady rise over the last four years, Pegula doesn’t feel like a one-year wonder.
On a micro level, Pegula’s play in Guadalajara could be a template for future successes. In succession, she defeated:
- Elena Rybakina, this year’s Wimbledon champion, in a final-set tiebreaker, 10-8
- Bianca Andreescu, former US Open champion, in straight sets
- Sloane Stephens, former US Open champion, in straight sets
- Victoria Azarenka, two-time Australian Open champion and recent US Open runner-up, in straight sets
- Maria Sakkari, Top 10 player and two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, in straight sets