Jessica Pegula has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2026 WTA season.
Pegula has been the clear third-best player on Tour this year, behind only Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.
Pegula has won 19 of her 23 matches on the WTA Tour in 2026, resulting in title wins in Dubai and Charleston.
The 30-year-old, who is still searching for her first Grand Slam title, has the opportunity to re-claim the American number one spot from Coco Gauff during the clay-court swing.
How do you rate Jessica Pegula’s chances of ever winning a Grand Slam?
Pegula has given herself a great chance of doing so after her latest decision.
Jessica Pegula has made a smart decision by skipping the Stuttgart Open
The Stuttgart Open, a WTA 500 event held on indoor clay courts, is set to host a plethora of high-profile names at the Porsche-Arena.
Many of the WTA’s best players are set to play in the German city, including Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina.
Pegula has chosen to forego the event, meaning she will next play a competitive match at the Madrid Open, which is due to begin on April 21.
After winning the Charleston Open on Sunday, Pegula will now have an extended period to rest and recuperate ahead of a very busy period on the Tour.
And with the American defending very few points in Stuttgart, skipping the event will have little impact on her ranking.
Gauff has 3,408 WTA points to defend across the clay-court swing after winning the French Open and reaching the final in Madrid and Rome in 2025.
Pegula, meanwhile, only has 610 points to defend after triumphing in Charleston.
Consequently, during the clay-court swing, the onus is on Gauff to defend her points, rather than on Pegula.
If Pegula can properly reset ahead of her next few events, there is no reason why she cannot perform well and overtake Gauff in the WTA rankings.
When did Jessica Pegula first become American number one?
In July 2022, Jessica Pegula achieved a then-career high ranking of world number seven.
By rising one spot to world number seven, Pegula overtook compatriot Danielle Collins and became the American number one for the first time in her career.
Pegula, who is now the world number five – but now sits behind Coco Gauff in the rankings – recently secured her 200th week inside the top 10.
Pegula broke into the WTA top 10 in 2022 following her run to the Roland Garros quarter-finals.
With Pegula enjoying one of the best seasons of her career, it seems unlikely that the American will fall outside the WTA top 10 any time soon.
In fact, one would not be surprised if Pegula returns to the WTA top three by the end of this year.
