America’s Jessica Pegula has been praised by her rivals over an act of kindness that saved four players a tiring trip between tournaments in the middle of the night.
Pegula, the daughter of billionaires, defeated fifth seed McCartney Kessler in straight sets to win the ATX Open final in Austin, in what was her seventh career singles title.
With the 31-year-old and her opponent both facing a fast turnaround in order to make the first round of Indian Wells, Pegula offered Kessler a spot on her private jet.
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That flight took the pair straight from the singles final in Texas to California, ensuring they made it in time for the WTA 1000 tournament opener.
The world No.4’s generosity did not end with Kessler as she waited for the end of the doubles final to ensure everyone had an assured trip to make it to their next tournament.
Jessica Pegula of the United States at the 2025 Australian Open. Getty
Zhang Shuai, Yuan Yue and Anna Blinkova joined Kessler and Pegula on the private flight to California on Monday (AEDT).
Had the four players not accepted Pegula’s offer they would have been forced to make a stopover in Dallas or Houston en route to California.
“You know she could have left right away after her singles final, but she is such a selfless and generous girl,” Zhang wrote on Instagram.
“This message is not to show I took the jet, just wanted to appreciate and transfer the love.”
Yue and Blinkova re-shared Zhang’s message on their own Instagram accounts and also offered their thanks to Pegula’s parents, who own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
Pegula responded to Zhang’s post, writing: “You’re too cute.”
The generous act now provides Blinkova and Kessler additional time to prepare for their round one match-up on day one of competition.
Pegula, the fourth seed for the event, will not take to the court until Saturday, March 8 after being drawn a first-round bye due to her seeding.
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