“It’s my first clay court title, which is really cool. To win it here in Charleston, super special,” Jessica Pegula beamed after a dominant victory over the former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin, capturing her first title of 2025 at the US clay. That triumph marked a rejuvenated chapter in her season, earning her accolades before the European clay swing. But the road across the Atlantic wasn’t as smooth, with tough losses testing her resilience. Still, Pegula never wavered. She stormed through her latest match and, embracing her gritty mindset, declared her readiness for battle. Her thoughts?
American ace Jessica Pegula made a strong return to Roland Garros, opening her 2025 French Open campaign with a straight-sets victory over unseeded Anca Todani, 6-2, 6-4. Seeded 3rd this year, the Buffalo native looked confident and composed as she advanced to the 2nd round, where she will face fellow American Ann Li on Thursday.
Pegula missed last year’s French Open because of injury, but she’s no stranger to success in Paris; her best run came in 2022, reaching the QF, with 3rd-round finishes in both 2021 and 2023. And recently, when asked about her drive to lift trophies on clay, Pegula didn’t hold back. She confidently asserted her readiness to undertake the challenges necessary for success at the French Open.
Speaking to Prakash Amritraj of Tennis Channel after her opening-round win, Jessica Pegula reflected on her recent struggles with form and rhythm on clay. “I mean, I think it got better. It’s been a little up and down. I’ve had some kind of nagging injuries. Haven’t nothing bad, and I feel like I’ve been playing good tennis, just haven’t quite gotten that momentum on clay. And you know this is my last chance to kind of hopefully get some momentum before we go into the grass. And I’ve had good results here,” she shared.
Image Credits: Instagram/Jessica Pegula
Pegula also highlighted how she’s battled through inconsistent play and used Tuesday’s match as a turning point in her mindset while emphasizing the importance of resilience on the Parisian courts. “I played good tennis here. Had a lot of good wins, and you know that’s why I’m glad today wasn’t just a perfect match. I’m glad that I was, you know, had to be pressured, and there were some big, you know, key moments there that I had to turn around. So hopefully I can kind of work my way through this tournament and, you know, hopefully at least get to the second week. That would be amazing, but it’s tough,” she added.
Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of clay, the American explained how her mindset is shifting toward embracing the grind. Unlike her usual calm, collected demeanor, she sounded bolder this time—even desperate. “It’s clay, you know, I feel like anything can happen. The momentum can switch so fast, and you just got to be willing to win kind of dirty and be out there and grind. So that’s just kind of the mentality I’m taking this week, and hopefully it works. And I can keep going. Things get things certainly do get grueling out here,” she said.
Her thoughts are genuine, though. Since her breakthrough win in Charleston, Pegula’s clay-court results have taken a dip. Her tournament runs concluded prematurely in Stuttgart (quarterfinals) and both Madrid and Rome (round of 32). In Strasbourg, despite taking the opening set, she suffered a 1st-round loss to Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya. Still, Pegula remains determined to find her rhythm before the grass-court season, placing high importance on her 1st-round win at Roland Garros.
A deep run into the French Open would also prove to be of huge national importance, considering the Grand Slam event hasn’t seen a single American winner since Serena Williams in 2015. American hopes suffered an early blow this year, too, after No. 9 Emma Navarro managed to last less than an hour in the first round against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. But it’s far from over with the likes of Coco Gauff and Madison Keys getting past round 1 with comfortable wins. And while the opening draw ended well for Pegula as well, it was not without its challenges.
Jessica Pegula opened up about her opening-round win in Paris
Jessica Pegula began her 2025 Roland Garros campaign with a dominant performance, defeating Anca Todoni 6-2, 6-4. She wasted no time asserting control, breaking Todoni’s serve in the opening game to take a quick 1-0 lead in no time. With sharp ball striking and steady baseline play, Pegula earned another break in the 5th game and comfortably closed out the 1st set in just over 30 minutes.
The 2nd set was more competitive. Both players held serve early, with Todoni saving a breakpoint in the 3rd game. Pegula broke for 3-2 but Todoni responded with her 1st break to level at 3-3. Still, Pegula’s poise under pressure proved decisive. The American broke again in the 9th game and served out the match without facing another break point.
During her post-match Tennis Channel interview, Pegula analyzed her encounter with an unacquainted opponent, emphasizing the negative influence of this unfamiliarity on her performance. “I think so, you know, not knowing who you’re playing, not knowing your opponent, I honestly knew like nothing about her. I think is always kind of tricky, especially when someone you know she was tall had a big serve hit big ground strokes. So you’re never really sure you know how much power they have, you know you don’t have he feel of their ball and all these kind of elements, but I thought I did a good job of just sticking to my game,” she said.
With this win, Pegula seems ready to turn the page on a rocky clay season. If she continues to build momentum, the 3rd ranked could be a serious contender in Paris, and potentially raise the bar for American women’s tennis on the red dirt. Do you think the same?
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