American Jessica Pegula wins Guadalajara Open

• Jessica Pegula defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets at the Guadalajara Open
• Pegula beat Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in just 70 minutes
• Pegula converted five of eight break points

Jessica Pegula defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets at the Guadalajara Open to claim her maiden WTA 1,000 championship.

Pegula, an American, outlasted her Greek opponent 6-2, 6-3 in just 70 minutes, moving up to third place in the world rankings. She joins the list of Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur who have won multiple draw matches this season.

Sakkari played in her second match of the day, the final, having already finished her rain-delayed semifinal match against Marie Bouzkova, which she won 7-5 6-4.

Against the world number six, who had trouble with unforced errors at the age of 27, Pegula converted five of eight break points.

On her path to the championship match, Pegula defeated four Grand Slam champions: Elena Rybakina, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens, and Victoria Azarenka.

She termed this victory an ‘emotional one’ adding that her goal for the year was winning these matches.

“Just a lot of emotions, but super excited just to get a big title next to my name. That was something I really wanted this year, and I kept saying it was one of my goals, so to be able to accomplish it at the end of the year is really cool,” Pegula said.

Jessica Pegula wins Guadalajara Open. Photo by syracuse

The tournament was tough, but she credits her success to handling her emotions well and being determined to win.

The Guadalajara Open, a 1000-point event, has the highest rank attainable on the WTA Tour. It is in its first year of operation as a competition.

Mexican city of Guadalajara hosted the WTA Finals, which concluded the season last year. The event left such an impression on the competitors that it was chosen to host the prestigious competition starting in 2022.

Guadalajara Open is one of the WTA tennis circuits. They consist of many competitions held all year long in various locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Latin America, and Australia.

The amount of prize money and the number of points given for world ranking are the differences between each. The latter is established by the number shown in the tournament category.

It is one of the following: WTA 125, WTA 250, WTA 500, and WTA 1000. The higher the number, the more prestigious and lucrative the prize money is.

Only eight of the WTA 1000 Tournaments are presently held worldwide, making it the most significant event on tour after the four Grand Slams.

Bees at the Guadalajara Open’s umpire chair. Photo by Daily Express

Meanwhile, on the opening day of the WTA 1000 tournament in Guadalajara Open, a swarm of bees engulfed the umpire’s seat, forcing a match delay.

A beekeeper was immediately dispatched to remove them and allowed Petra Kvitova and Bernarda Pera to start their match 90 minutes later.

By the time the match was called off, there were no players on the court, leaving fans confused. A few moments later, photos of a swarm of bees resting on the umpire’s chair went viral.

Visibly confused fans were bewildered as they finally understood what was behind the match’s delay. The swarm of bees took over a portion of the umpire’s chair in the less than two hours that elapsed between the conclusion of the day session and the anticipated start of the night session.