BY: OSABUOHIEN IMUETINYANOSA
The professional tennis player, Jessica Pegula who has won several awards and accolades throughout her career who has currently defeated fellow American and No. 5 seed McCartney Kessler 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday to win the ATX Open final in Austin, Texas and record the seventh singles title of her career.
Pegula converted 6 of 10 break points while downing Kessler in 83 minutes. Kessler committed four double faults and won just four of her 10 service games.
According to the WTA, the match was the first All-American final on U.S. soil since Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys to win the 2017 U.S. Open.
Kessler led 4-2 in the opening set before Pegula won five of six games to take the set. Pegula dropped the first game of the second set but seized control by winning the next four.
The victory is Pegula’s fourth in the past 18-plus months. Kessler has two career titles, both coming in the past six-plus months.
Top-seeded Emma Navarro rolled to a dominating 6-0, 6-0 victory over Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango in the final to earn her second career victory.
Navarro won 76 percent (19 of 25) of her first-serve points and needed just 55 minutes to finish off Arango. Navarro didn’t lose a set in the tournament. Her other WTA tournament victory was at the Hobart International in January 2024.
Arango committed four double faults and won just 30 percent (6 of 20) of her first-serve points. This event marked the first time the 24-year-old has advanced past the quarterfinals of a WTA eve
Pegula won her first WTA 1000 title at the 2022 Guadalajara Open. She won her first WTA 500 title at the 2021 Washington Open. She won several ITF Circuit awards, including the 2012 ITF Circuit Player of the Year award.Today she has shown great mastery of the sports proven in her just concluded Austin open which she won.
