‘It’s a huge honour’ – Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula could make history after WTA Finals qualification
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are excited to compete together in Fort Worth, Texas after becoming the fifth doubles team to qualify for the WTA Finals.
The duo won their third title of the season at the San Diego Open, defeating fellow WTA Finals qualifiers Gabriela Dabrowski and Giuliana Olmos 1-6, 7-5, 10-4 in the final. Pegula also became the third woman to qualify for the singles behind Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur by reaching the semi-finals at the event.
“It’s a huge honour,” Pegula said after the pair won in San Diego. “When we did well earlier this year we were also doing well in singles. But we were like ‘we want to make year-end Finals for doubles and singles as well.’
“So I think for us to be able to play doubles is awesome.”
By qualifying, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are the first all-American team to compete for the elite women’s title since 2015. The last such players to do so were Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears that year.
“It’s weird that it’s been that long but we’re happy that we’re able to break that [drought] so hopefully we can do well,” Pegula added.
Gauff and Pegula have qualified behind defending champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, and Dabrowski and Olmos.
Gauff is next in line to qualify for the WTA Finals in singles, and need only win one match at the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open to make it there to join Pegula.
#SanDiegoOpen champs! 🥳🏄♀️ @JLPegula pic.twitter.com/NTh3L5z4J0
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 17, 2022
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