Jessica Pegula won her fourth WTA 1000 title on Saturday after defeating Elina Svitolina in the Dubai Tennis Championships final.
Pegula, who defeated Svitolina 6-2, 6-4, secured her 10th WTA title and a first since winning the 2025 Bad Homburg Open.
The American also ended an unwanted streak. Before winning the title in Dubai, Pegula had reached seven consecutive WTA semi-finals without winning a title.
Pegula is quite possibly the best player on the WTA Tour never to win a Grand Slam title. The closest she has come to winning a major was in 2024 when she reached the US Open final, before losing to Aryna Sabalenka.
However, Rick Macci believes Pegula will overcome her Grand Slam woes very soon.
Rick Macci says Jessica Pegula will win a Grand Slam ‘real soon’
Rick Macci, who has tipped Serena Williams to return to the WTA Tour at the US Open, has weighed in on Jessica Pegula’s Grand Slam chances following her triumph in Dubai.
Macci, who has also worked with Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova, is certain that Pegula will achieve Grand Slam glory ‘real soon.’
“Can Pegula win a slam? 100 per cent,” Macci said on X [formerly Twitter.]
She can beat anybody anytime, anywhere. She hits a clean laser off either side and can turn the tide.
“But mentally she is calm, cool and collected under the sun or moon, and will collect a major real soon.”
Pegula has the talent to win a major, yet she has only reached one final in her career. Why is this?
One possible reason may be the depth of the WTA Tour. While the men’s Tour has two standout performers – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – the women’s Tour has a deeper pool of talent, making it more difficult for players to string together seven consecutive match wins.
This is highlighted in Pegula’s Grand Slam performances over the past few years. The American has failed to reach the quarter-finals at five of her last eight Grand Slam events.
| Tournament | Round | Opponent Pegula lost to |
| 2024 Australian Open | Second Round | Clara Burel |
| 2024 Wimbledon | Second Round | Xin Wang |
| 2024 US Open | Final | Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2025 Australian Open | Third Round | Olga Danilovic |
| 2025 French Open | Fourth Round | Lois Boisson |
| 2025 Wimbledon | First Round | Elisabetta Cocciaretto |
| 2025 US Open | Semi-finals | Aryna Sabalenka |
| 2026 Australian Open | Semi-finals | Elena Rybakina |
Jessica Pegula was ‘annoyed’ ahead of winning her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara
Jessica Pegula won her first WTA 1000 title at the 2022 Guadalajara Open.
Pegula, seeded third at the event, beat Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sakkari to win the title.
“Again, I feel amazing,” Pegula told reporters in Mexico after beating Sakkari in the final. “I mean, there’s not really much else to say. I won the tournament. I’m so happy it was at a 1000 event.
“All the people I beat, my draw to get here, in my opinion, was honestly the toughest out of everybody. So I was a little annoyed when I saw the draw come out.
“But the way I’ve been able to manage it throughout the whole week, today I handled my nerves and emotions – just super proud of myself.”
Pegula has also won WTA 1000 titles in Canada, winning the Canadian Open in 2023 and 2024.