“It’s really cool we finally get to have a women’s event there” - Jessica Pegula adds her name to the HSBC Championships line-up

Pegula is no stranger to the grass. Last year the American added a first grass court title to her trophy haul at the ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin where she overcame the likes of 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff and Anna Kalinskaya on her way to claiming what was then, the fifth WTA title of her career. Since then she’s gone on to haul a third WTA 1000 title in Toronto and more recently, the ATX Open crown in February 2025.

Reflecting on her grass court breakthrough in Berlin last summer and the key takeaways from that tournament, Pegula added, “Grass can be kind of frustrating sometimes, especially during the first week, so I was happy with how I was able to problem solve and not get too frustrated if I got a bad bounce or had someone serve really well.

“You can always find your way back into the matches and that’s definitely something I learned in Berlin and is something I can hopefully take into this year to get some good results.”

Although grass is not a traditional surface for Americans growing up in the USA, the players consistently adapt well to the surface when the grass court season rolls around.

Historically, the Americans have performed well during the British grass court swing on both the women’s and the men’s side. Past champions at tournaments such as the Lexus Nottingham Open, Lexus Eastbourne Open and the HSBC Championships include Keys, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe.

But what is it about the surface that makes the players find their title-winning form?

“I think because we're used to playing on faster hard courts which are similar to the grass in the way the ball skids through and we’re good when it stays low - a lot of us also play through the court.

“We have some Americans that serve really well and I think all of those cater towards a grass court game. We’ve always felt pretty comfortable and have had some good results there."

As well as lifting her first grass court trophy during the last 12 months, Pegula also enjoyed a breakthrough on the Grand Slam stage. A quarter-finalist at Wimbledon a couple of years ago, the 31-year-old reached her first Grand Slam final at the US Open last September where she narrowly missed out to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.

While coming so close to a maiden major title would’ve been heartbreaking for the American No.1, she came away with the confidence in knowing she has what it takes to go the distance at the world’s biggest tournaments and will be gunning to go one step further at one of the three remaining Grand Slams this year.

“I’ve had really good results (at Grand Slams). I had a heartbreaker at Wimbledon (in 2023) so to be able to flip the narrative the following year and make the final of a Grand Slam was really important for me. 

“That quarter-final (at Wimbledon) was super tough, so hopefully I can turn it around and maybe make a semi or a final there - that would be amazing. When it comes to doing well at a Slam, US Open is always great for me because I’m American but at the same time Wimbledon always has that prestigiousness to it that would make me want to have the same results there.”