Pegula is sincere before the final: "I am one of the best on hard courts... but Aryna is a little better than me"

Fernando Murciego | 28 Mar 2025 | 08.42

Jessica Pegula vying for the title at the Miami Open 2025. Source: Getty

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There hasn't been a bad final at the Miami Open 2025 after all. While the men's draw continues to surprise with top favorites falling, in the women's side we will have a high-level duel: Aryna Sabalenka against Jessica Pegula. That is, the World No. 1 against No. 5. A rivalry set under the rhythm of the Belarusian, although the American knows she's playing on home ground. After struggling to get past the previous round against the young Eala, the Buffalo native pushes herself to make the final leap, knowing she faces the toughest opponent.

Hard-fought victory against a promising opponent

"Definitely, this girl competes very well, I think she's playing without anything to lose, just going for her shots. I relaxed a bit at 3-1 and that's when I let her back into the match, that's when she started to break the ball and dominate with her shots. Sometimes you have to weather the storm somehow, I wish I had closed it in two sets, but I'm happy with how I fought in the third set."

Raising the level in crucial moments

"I have no idea how I did it, really, I don't know, I was just out there running from side to side. I think I stayed calm in important moments, had a couple of good games with my serve, some smart plays with my shots, this is what helped me most in the end to win this match. Looking at the draw, you might think you're facing a great opportunity, but in the end, I couldn't say who I'd rather play. Obviously, Iga (Swiatek) has much more experience in these tournaments, but that doesn't affect facing someone who has nothing to lose. In both ways, it can be difficult, so I'm happy to have taken advantage of it."

Who does Eala remind you of?

"The serve issue is very tough, on these courts it gets low and slow, so it's hard to commit to what you want to do. I was struggling to intervene in this aspect since I didn't want to give her free points. Next time I think I'll start playing more aggressively from the beginning, now that I know her and have an idea of how she plays, she's proven to be a very good player. She reminds me of Leylah Fernandez, she takes the ball very early, uses angles very well, hits her forehand down the line, plus she always competes. Anticipates very well, moves well... all those things will take her far."

Sabalenka in the final

"I feel like I'm one of the best on hard courts, although Aryna is a bit better than me, at least in terms of results, having won the Australian Open and the US Open, and also beaten me in Cincinnati. It will be tough, I hope to bring out the best in me, that would be incredible. I'm proud to stand in front of one of the best on hard courts again, especially in the final of a WTA 1000. I'm super excited about how the year has started, always felt I could win this tournament, always went far and got good results. Sometimes you have that feeling in tournaments, here there's one of those examples."

The toughness of the circuit

"It's very tough to win any tennis match, right now I'm exhausted and haven't even won the tournament yet, but next week I'll be in Charleston trying to do the same. And next year will be the same, it's normal to get a bit crazy thinking about defending points, but you shouldn't worry about that. Tennis is very tough mentally, you have to deal with that because every victory is incredible. Fortunately, there will always be another week to forget the previous one. In my case, I try to work to enjoy the good weeks and victories, stay in the present moment as much as possible. When I look back, those are the moments I want to remember."

Keys to beating the World No. 1

"I feel like I'm serving a bit better, hoping to do well on Saturday because this is something you have to do well against her, as she returns very well. I've been returning well here, so I think I can give myself a chance even though Aryna is one of the best servers in the world. She's really tough, plays with a lot of confidence, although I think she prefers a slightly faster court to be more aggressive and play in 1-2 shots. At the US Open I had my chances, 5-3 up in the second set, who knows what would have happened... I know I'll have opportunities if I play good tennis, so I'll try to give my all to capitalize on that, I want to learn from our recent matches."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Pegula se sincera antes de la final: “Soy de las mejores en pista dura… pero Aryna es un poco mejor que yo”