Jessica Pegula is already used to being defined by her four billion dollar father. And she is tired of it.
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When the 26-year-old American read a tweet from a local journalist that the daughter of the owner of two US sports teams had just surprisingly made it into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, she hit the counterattack. The “American Jessica Pegula, professional tennis player” did this, she replied.
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In Melbourne, Pegula is currently working impressively on making her own name. On Monday, she surprisingly defeated fellow favorite Elina Svitolina, at least fifth, with 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 3. In the first round she had already defeated the two-time tournament winner Viktoria Azarenka, and for the first time ever Pegula is in a Grand Slam quarter-finals.
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After her success against Svitolina, her first against a top 10 player, the first greeting went to the parents. “Hi mom, hi dad,” she wrote on a TV camera, but later emphasized, “Tennis is my thing, it’s my job, it’s my career. My parents don’t really have a say in everything I do at the moment in the square. “
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Highlights | Pegula surprised Svitolina and made it to the quarterfinals
Terry Pegula beat Donald Trump in buying the Buffalo Bills
The name Pegula is firmly anchored in US sport – if not in tennis. Father Terry has been the owner of the NFL team Buffalo Bills since 2014, outpacing competing applicants Donald Trump and rock star Jon Bon Jovi. He had already taken over the Buffalo Sabers ice hockey team from the NHL three years earlier.
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It is clear that sport is omnipresent in Jessica Pegula’s life. She finds inspiration for her achievements especially in American football.
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“The bite, the competitive attitude and the mentality” she tried to transfer to her game. Above all, the irrepressible will to win of Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen impressed her.
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Pegula wants to transfer this back to the court on Wednesday, against her compatriot and good friend Jennifer Brady she fights for the semi-finals. And maybe she will soon be able to pose as “Jessica Pegula, Grand Slam winner”.
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All results of the Australian Open
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