Jessica Pegula makes ‘sloppy’ admission after shock Canadian Open defeat
Jessica Pegula has revealed concern about what she described as “sloppy” tennis after a shock loss at the Canadian Open on Friday.
Two-time defending champion Pegula was stunned 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 by world No 386 Anastasjia Sevastova in Montreal, dashing the American’s hopes of a Canada ‘threepeat’.
The 31-year-old was riding an 11-match win streak at the WTA 1000 event and was looking to become just the second woman in tournament history to win three straight titles, after Monica Seles.
Pegula looked in cruise control as she moved into a 6-3, 2-0 lead inside the IGA Stadium, though she was unable to hold on against 35-year-old Sevastova, a former world No 11.
2025 has seen the American win three WTA titles, with triumphs in Austin, Charleston, and Bad Homburg to her name.
However, Pegula has struggled at some of the bigger tournaments in 2025, and holds a 1-3 record since her victory over Iga Swiatek in the Bad Homburg Open final.
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The American was stunned by Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the opening round of Wimbledon, before a loss to Leylah Fernandez at the Citi DC Open.
Pegula returned to winning ways with victory over Maria Sakkari in her opening Montreal match, though her struggles returned on Friday.
“It hasn’t been great, to be honest,” said the world No 4 post-match.
“I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like.
“It really bothers me. You have to figure out how to get out of it and not feel sorry for yourself or make excuses. I’ve got to figure it out.
“I feel like I felt pretty confident knowing I like playing here. I’ve always had good results here.
“Did I win DC coming into here? No, but at the same time, I’ve won tournaments and lost first round. Nothing in tennis makes sense sometimes.”
With the Canadian Open being held a week earlier in 2025 than it was in 2024, Pegula does not face losing any ranking points yet.
However, having had 1,000 points to defend in Canada, and with just 65 successfully defended this year, the world No 4 will lose a significant chunk of points when last year’s result is removed.
While Pegula is unlikely to face a significant drop in the WTA Rankings straight away, her Montreal loss does leave her more at risk ahead of a crucial summer.
Having reached the final of both the Cincinnati Open and US Open last summer, the American still has a significant chunk of points to defend over the next month.
She has 650 points to defend at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati following her runner-up finish in 2024, and a significant haul of 1,300 points from her US Open final run last September.
With a combined 2,050 points won at both events, the 31-year-old is defending over a third of her current WTA Ranking points at the two crucial events.
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