Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are two of the finest talents on the WTA Tour.
The pair, who are the two highest-ranked Americans on the WTA Tour, have enjoyed differing levels of success this season.
Pegula has begun the year in fine form, winning two titles in Dubai and Charleston.
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Gauff, meanwhile, is yet to win a WTA title this year. However, Gauff has shown signs of recapturing her best form, as demonstrated by her run to the Miami Open final.
However, despite their accomplishments on the WTA Tour this year, both players have made one crucial mistake.
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula should have competed in the Billie Jean King Cup
The United States of America will not be competing in this year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
The American team, who were without some of their best players, were defeated 3-1 by Belgium in the Coretec Dome, Ostend.
Hanne Vandewinkel upset Iva Jovic in the opening rubber before Elise Mertens extended the Belgium lead.
Caty McNally and Nicola Melichar kept American hopes alive in the doubles rubber, before they were crushed by world number 149 Greet Minnen.
Belgium’s 3-1 victory over the US in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying
- Hanne Vandewinkel defeated Iva Jovic 7-6, 6-3
- Elise Mertens defeated McCartney Kessler 7-6, 2-6, 3-3 [RETIRED]
- Caty McNally and Nicola Melichar defeated Magali Kempen and Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-2
- Greet Minnen defeated Iva Jovic 7-5, 6-3
The result was extremely disappointing for the US team, who made the final of the 2025 event before losing to Italy.
The 13-time champions, who have not won the event since 2017, would have most likely progressed to the BJK Cup Finals, had at least one of the nation’s top three-ranked players participated in the event.
Of course, one would have expected the US to advance without the help of Gauff, Pegula, or Amanda Anisimova. However, to place all the responsibility for the defeat on the shoulders of 18-year-old Iva Jovic would be disproportionate.
The American BJK Cup team certainly missed the presence of their best players; and it will be interesting to see whether Gauff, Pegula and Anisimova make the same decision in the future.
Lindsay Davenport reacts to USA’s Billie Jean King Cup exit
“We tried really hard all week to find our groove and to figure out how we were gonna play, how we’re gonna get three points,” U.S. captain Lindsay Davenport said after the defeat, as per Tennis.com.
“But Belgium played so well. They had a great crowd here.
“We just never quite got to playing our best. We got a little bit of, obviously, bad luck with McCartney. She was playing great.
“We felt like she had really seized momentum in that match when things started to go the other way. But we’ll keep working. It’s a process for sure.”
The US’s BJK Cup drought will extend to 10 years following their exit from the 2026 event.
Coco Vandeweghe and Shelby Rogers defeated Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 7-6 to secure a 3-2 win over Belarus in the 2017 final.
