Jessica Pegula claimed her first WTA 1000 title.

The American entered the tournament as a qualifier and went on to beat some of the biggest names in the game en route to the title, including world No.7 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

It’s been a breakout year for Pegula, who has also reached two WTA finals and won her first WTA title in Charleston. She is currently ranked a career-high No.30 in the world and is sure to climbing even higher in the rankings after her latest triumph.

Pegula’s success is all the more impressive when you consider that she only turned professional in 2013 after a successful junior career that saw her win the USTA Girls’ 18s National Championship.

She has come a long way since then and is now one of the most exciting young players on the WTA Tour. It will be interesting to see how she fares at the upcoming French Open – her best result at a Grand Slam so far is a third-round appearance at Wimbledon last year.

Either way, Pegula is definitely a name to watch out for in the coming months and years. She has already achieved so much in her young career and there is no doubt that she has the talent to go even further. WTA fans will be eagerly following her progress in the months and years to come.

It was a first WTA title for Pegula, who had lost in her only previous final appearance at the 2019 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai.

This latest success cements Pegula’s reputation as one of tennis’ most consistent performers over the past 12 months. She has now won at least one WTA singles crown in each of the past three seasons.

Pegula’s WTA title wins:

• 2019: Tianjin Open

• 2020: Citi Open

• 2021: Mexican Open

On the back of her recent run to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Pegula has now won 19 of her last 23 WTA main draw matches.