Jessica Pegula: billionaire heiress chasing US Open glory
Jessica Pegula is the WTA No. 3 and top-ranked American woman still hunting her first Grand Slam title at the 2026 US Open. After a dominant first-round win in New York, the 32-year-old Buffalo native—daughter of billionaire Bills and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula—is again in the spotlight.
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Pegula, 32, is WTA No. 3 and the highest-ranked American woman at the 2026 US Open.
- She opened with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse and next faces Sofia Kenin.
- Her father Terry Pegula’s Forbes-estimated net worth is about $9.3 billion; the family owns the Buffalo Bills and Sabres.
- She reached the 2024 US Open final and later Slam semis but still seeks a first major singles crown.
- Pegula credits her mother Kim’s direct, laid-back style for shaping her on-court leadership.
Who is Jessica Pegula and why is she in the spotlight?
Born in Buffalo on February 24, 1994, Pegula later trained in Boca Raton, Florida, after her family moved to support her tennis path. She describes herself as a late bloomer who broke through in her mid-20s, reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2021 Australian Open.
According to Business Insider, she has won 11 career singles titles, most recently in Dubai and Charleston in 2026, and has earned more than $24 million in prize money as of May 2026. Forbes ranked her among the world’s highest-paid female athletes in 2025.
Readers following celebrity breaking news are watching whether this home Slam finally delivers her breakthrough.
How close is Jessica Pegula to a first Grand Slam title?
Pegula reached the 2024 US Open final, losing to Aryna Sabalenka, then made the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open semifinals. She also reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals earlier this summer, falling to former doubles partner Coco Gauff.
At this year’s Open she started strong, beating Romania’s Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday. Next she faces fellow American Sofia Kenin on Wednesday. Yahoo Sports notes she is the No. 3 seed and could climb toward No. 1 with a deep run.
AOL reports she arrived in New York after runner-up finishes at the Mubadala DC Open and the Cincinnati Open, adding momentum to her Slam bid.
How did her billionaire parents shape Jessica Pegula?
Terry Pegula built oil-and-gas firm East Resources before selling most assets to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion in 2010, then bought the Sabres and Bills. Forbes pegs his net worth around $9.3 billion. Kim Pegula served as president and co-owner of both clubs before a June 2022 cardiac arrest and brain injury; she made a rare public appearance at Highmark Stadium in August 2026.
Pegula has rejected claims that wealth softens her hunger. On Netflix’s “Break Point,” she said journalists “have no freakin’ clue” and that she “can’t buy my way into a semifinal,” noting the family fortune arrived when she was 17 or 18.
In a Sports Illustrated interview cited by AOL, she said she and her mom “weren’t super emotional,” describing a direct, laid-back style she links to her leadership. Off court she founded skincare brand Ready 24, co-runs charity A Lending Paw with husband Taylor Gahagen, and co-hosts the WTA podcast “The Player’s Box.”