Jessica Pegula’s surprise pick regarding who’s her current favorite player on the tour caught fans off guard, and she has now elaborated on the same. The American previously mentioned that she admires her fellow pro Anna Blinkova a lot.
Fans were expecting Pegula to chose another top player, so her mentioning Blinkova surprised them. The Russian is a talented player, and has made the third round of all Majors except the US Open.
During the latest episode of Pegula’s podcast, The Players Box Podcast, which she co-hosts with Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk, a fan wanted to know the lore behind Pegula’s appreciation of Blinkova, and she happily obliged.
Pegula loves Blinkova’s attitude and sweet personality. She radiates positivity in every single match regardless of whether the final outcome is in her favor or not, a trait which isn’t appreciated as much according to the American.
“Blinky (Blinkova), I just think that she has an incredible attitude and she always competes and it doesn’t matter if she wins or she loses 0 and 0. She literally is the exact same energy, competitiveness, spirit, and I feel like it’s so hard to find. And she’s literally like that every single match,” Pegula said.
“Every single match like that I watch. Her attitude is incredible. She’s so sweet. She’s so nice. she doesn’t get enough credit. She’s a great person. her incredible attitude,” Pegula added.
One of Blinkova’s biggest achievements came at the Australian Open 2024. She sneaked past Elena Rybakina 22-20 in the third set tie-break during their second-round contest, saving six match points in the process. It remains the longest tie-break played at a Major.
Blinkova will now aim to progress beyond the third round in Melbourne for the first time in her career. Pegula, a three-time quarterfinalist, will aim to make a deep run this time after a couple of early exits in the past two editions.
Jessica Pegula Will Be Seeded Sixth At The Australian Open 2026
Jessica Pegula will be the sixth seed at the Australian Open 2026. She crashed out in the first round on her main draw debut in 2020, and then advanced to the quarterfinals for the next three years.
Pegula’s streak of good results in Melbourne came to an end with a second-round exit in 2024. She managed to reach the third round in 2025. Aside from her singles campaign, she will also enter the women’s doubles event this time.
Pegula will team up with compatriot McCartney Kessler in doubles. She previously made the semifinals in women’s doubles at the Australian Open in 2023. This was when she used to play doubles regularly with Coco Gauff. After playing a handful of doubles matches over the past two years, Pegula plans to commit to it on a regular basis in 2026.
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