PEGULA BAGS EARLY BIRTHDAY PRESENT WITH FIRST DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS CROWN

World No5 Jessica Pegula gifted herself an early birthday current on Saturday evening, comfortably beating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina to win the Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships’ WTA 1000 and turn into the primary American in additional than a decade to raise the match’s well-known silver espresso pot.

Pegula, who turns 32 on Tuesday, dominated the ultimate inside Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Stadium to assert a ten^th WTA title in straight units 6-2, 6-4 inside 73 minutes and turn into the primary US consultant since Venus Williams received her third title right here in 2014. “Yeah, it’s an important birthday current for me,” Pegula mentioned. “I get to have fun by flying again house in a couple of hours, however I’m simply tremendous joyful to go house with a trophy. It was an important week.”

On the other facet of the web, No7 seed Svitolina – a two-time Dubai champion having received right here in 2017 and 2018 – appeared each inch a participant who had battled ferociously by means of an epic three-set, three-hour victory over World No4 Coco Gauff lower than 24 hours earlier. The stress and pressure such exertions placed on knowledgeable participant’s physique should not be underestimated, but the 31-year-old mother-of-one was fast to look on the brilliant facet.

“I had an important match yesterday,” mentioned the World No9. “I used to be very proud of the best way I may win that match, so I wish to look on this match with plenty of positives, take solely good issues. For me, that’s the precedence. I performed nice matches, beat good gamers. In fact, in a last, it was robust, however Jess is so constant – she’s an important participant and actually performed nice tennis. It’s how it’s. I’m nonetheless joyful.

For all that Svitolina struggled, Pegula appeared picture-perfect – becoming for a participant some lovingly confer with as “Jpeg”. Enjoying with energy from the baseline and aggressively dashing the web at opportune moments, she instantly broke serve thrice in succession to race to a 4-1 first-set lead. Svitolina, who had fought for each level in opposition to Coco Gauff within the semi-finals, appeared unable to seek out the additional vitality required, unwilling to push her physique previous its most, and letting doubtlessly gettable balls get previous her.

“It’s not simple,” Svitolina mentioned. “I imply, I did a couple of extra errors than typical. Generally my footwork was not excellent. Little issues like right here and there I used to be brief and in opposition to high gamers, you can’t make these sort of errors consistently. Towards a participant like Jess, who may be very constant, you must at all times put a whole lot of strain, you must at all times discover the small alternatives. Sadly, I used to be a little bit bit low mentally and my physique was drained.”

Pegula’s consistency in latest months has caught the attention. Having reached six consecutive semi-finals, she had solely managed to transform two into finals and earlier than Saturday had not managed to take a trophy house. In Dubai although, it by no means appeared doubtful. Having closed out the primary set with ease, she bided her time within the second, pulling her opponent across the court docket, slicing backhands to pull her in the direction of the web and driving groundstrokes to the baseline.

The essential break got here within the fifth recreation as she rushed the web to work the angles like an knowledgeable geometrist.

“I feel I most likely felt a little bit bit higher than [Elina] did,” Pegula mentioned. “Her match final evening with Coco was insane – a brilliant excessive stage. I used to be watching: Two of the very best, if not the very best, rivals we now have on Tour. They placed on a present and possibly it benefited me a little bit bit that I acquired to be executed a little bit bit earlier.”

But to win a Grand Slam, the 2024 US Open finalist threw her arms within the air as she received the Championship-deciding level and have become Dubai’s latest champion. Because the fireworks sparked and the followers cheered, she appeared content material along with her week – not exuberant, however joyful to win. Like somebody who has even greater ambitions.

“Right now is [my] first PEGULA BAGS EARLY BIRTHDAY PRESENT WITH FIRST DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS CROWN exterior North America, which is sort of cool,” she mentioned. “I misplaced the Madrid last, in order that sort of makes it a little bit bit particular – someplace that’s not in North America. It proves I can play abroad, which is good. I’ve had some good outcomes right here prior to now and I’ve at all times thought I may play effectively right here, so simply lastly getting over that hurdle is particular.”

Earlier within the night on the identical court docket, the Doubles last noticed the match’s fifth seeds, Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil’s Luisa Stefani, beat Germany’s Laura Siegemund and Russia’s Vera Zvonareva. Followers flooding into Centre Court docket forward of the Singles last witnessed a vastly one-sided first set as Dabrowski and Stefani ruthlessly dismantled their opponents.

After shedding the primary recreation, the duo received six consecutive video games to steamroll the surprised Siegemund and Zvonareva. With Dabrowski providing energy, aggression, and fist bumps galore, there was additionally a fragile grace about her inventive shot choice that existed in excellent symmetry with the finesse and contact displayed in Stefani’s pleasant lobs and volleys.

The pair’s dominance continued into the second set and, after solely 70 minutes, they sealed the win 6-1, 6-3.

“I’d really like to simply take a second and dedicate this win to my finest pal’s father,” mentioned Dabrowski. “His title is Mike Smith, and he has been battling most cancers for 12 years now, and he’s nonetheless combating and I’ve been pondering of him each single day this week and weeks earlier. He’s been an inspiration for me, so this was for him tonight.”

The 26^th version of the annual WTA occasion ran from February 15-21, that includes 16 of the highest 20 ranked feminine gamers on the planet and 35 of the highest 40. The Dubai Responsibility Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Responsibility Free and held beneath the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It’ll now be adopted by the emirate’s annual ATP 500 males’s match, which begins on Monday February 23 and runs till Saturday, February 28.

There are a number of ticket classes nonetheless on sale for the 2026 Championships, with costs ranging from Dh65. For full particulars, go to dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com or ticketmaster.ae