Jessica Pegula takes pride in 'honorary' loss in first US open final

Jessica Pegula, a top American tennis player, sounded confident after losing to the world's second-best player, Aryna Sabalenka, at the US Open 2024 on Sunday.

Pegula, 30, reached the Grand Slam final for the first time this year.

It is worth noting that Pegula was defeated by 26-year-old 7-5, 7-5, after giving her best during the game.

The breakthrough on Arthur Ashe Stadium's hard court was a confidence-boosting stepping stone like several others in her career, the 30-year-old told reporters after the women's final.

Continuing with the conversation, Pegula revealed that the match was a confidence-boosting event for her.

"I think I've taken confidence from winning a 250, from winning a 1000, from being able to win another 1000. Multiple ones now. Then, to be able to be a Grand Slam finalist, I think that was kind of the last thing for me," Pegula said.

Moreover, she recalled her previous clashes in comparison to the final showdown in the US Open.

"I made a lot of quarter-finals but can I make a semi? Can I be a contender to actually win a Grand Slam? I lost to girls that pretty much won the tournament every time. I know my level was right there," Pegula said.

After battling an injury this season that forced her to skip Roland Garros, a more relaxed approach to this year's U.S. Open provided a lift.

"I handled the moment a little bit better this year ... with just having maybe a different perspective of 'I had a rough start to the year and I didn't really expect to be doing this well in the hard-court swing,"' she said.

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