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Who is Jessica Pegula?
Jessica Pegula is a well-recognized as well as talented professional tennis player from the United States who has been competing professionally since 2009. In actuality, she earned her maiden WTA singles title on August 4th, defeating Camila Giorgi in the Citi Open.
Notwithstanding, Jessica Pegula, the heiress to a billionaire’s fortune, doesn’t even have to work to make a living. However, the 28-year-old American has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the past two years and is in the final of the Madrid Open. Additionally, she is a successful entrepreneur.
Profile of Jessica Pegula
Full Name | Jessica Pegula |
Popular As | Jessica Pegula |
Birthdate | 24th Febrouary, 1994 |
Place of Birth | Buffalo County, NY, USA |
Gender | Female |
Profession | Tennis Player |
Nationality | American |
Race / Ethnicity | Mixed |
Religion | Christian |
Education Qualification | Gradaute |
University | University of Pittsburgh |
Sexual Orientation | Straight |
Age | 28 Years Old |
Sun-sign | Pisces |
Eye color | Brown |
Hair Color | Dark-Brown |
Height | 5’7’ (170 cm) |
Marital status | Married |
Parents | Terry Pegula (Father) & Kim Pegula (Mother) |
Siblings | Kelly & Matthew (Biological Siblings), Michael & Laura (Half-Siblings) |
Spouse | Taylor Gahagen |
Children | None |
Net Worth | $3 Million USD |
Jessica Pegula is a well-known pro tennis player from the United States. Besides, she is the heir apparent to her parents’ billion-dollar fortune. Moreover, Terry Pegula, her father, is a multi-billionaire American professional sports investor and natural gas entrepreneur. Meanwhile, Kim S. Pegula, her mother, is an accomplished American businesswoman who was born in South Korea.
Early-life, Education & Family Background
The American professional tennis player, Jessica Pegula was born on February 24, 1994, in Buffalo, New York, to American parents Terry and Kim Pegula. Reportedly, her mother Kim was adopted at the age of 5 by her foster parents, Ralph and Marilyn Kerr.
Jessica Pegula’s moniker is JP, and she was born into an affluent family as Terry Pegula’s eldest daughter with Kim S. Pegula. Interestingly, her mother Kim is her father’s second wife. Accordingly, Terry Pegula is a billionaire businessman from the United States who has holdings in natural gas exploration, real estate, entertainment, and professional sports. Moreover, her father is also a multibillionaire businessman, real estate investor, and the majority owner of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Similarly, her mother, Kim S. Pegula, is a South Korean-born American entrepreneur who co-owns the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League with her husband, Terry Pegula. Nonetheless, Kim also serves as the CEO of Pegula Sports and Entertainment. In addition, Jessica has two younger siblings: a sister named Kelly Pegula and a brother named Matthew Pegula. And she also has two half-siblings, Michael and Laura born from her father’s first marriage.
As of 2022, Jessica is 28 years old and pertains to the Pisces zodiac sign. Moreover, she is an American by nationality and of mixed ethnicity. Specifically, her maternal side of the family is Korean, while her paternal ancestry is American. And, she has been a devout Christian since she was a child.
As it comes to her educational background, there isn’t a lot of information available concerning her formative education. Apparently, Jessica attended an expensive private school in Buffalo City. Eventually, she completed high school through online classes to work around her tennis schedule. Likewise, following her high school graduation, Jessica attended the University of Pittsburgh, in the Pennsylvania state of the United States where she was an active member of the college tennis.
Jessica Pegula’s Professional Career
Jessica Pegula began playing tennis when she was seven years old. Subsequently, she commenced her professional tennis career in 2009, and in August 2011, she obtained a wild card exemption into the main event of the US Open doubles tournament.
Similarly, she secured another wild card admission to Indian Wells, defeating competitors Bojana Jovanovski and Paula Ormaechea in March 2012. Likewise, Jessica also made her Grand Slam singles debut as a qualifier in the 2015 US Open. And as a qualifier, Pegula reached her first WTA singles final in September at the Tournoi de Québec. Thereafter, she advanced to the final by defeating Kristna Plková, Ons Jabeur, second seed Petra Marti, and fifth seed Sofia Kenin, losing in straight sets against eighth seed Pauline Parmentier. Consequently, this catapulted her back into the top 200, allowing her to end the year in the top 125.
Remarkably, Pegula achieved tremendous success in the Australian Open, defeating Victoria Azarenka, Kristina Mladenovic, Samantha Stosur, and fifth seed Elina Svitolina to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where she succumbed to eventual runner-up Jennifer Brady after winning the first set. Apparently, Pegula’s impressive performance at the Australian Open in February propelled her into the top 50 for the first time, boosting her to a new career high of world No. 43.
Furthermore, she also made her imprint when she won her first professional WTA singles title at the Citi Open on August 4th, defeating Camila Giorgi. In addition, she is set to make her World TeamTennis debut in 2020 with the Orlando Storm. Likewise, she was an ASB Classic Finalist the same year.
Honors & Achievements
On the realm of achievements, she gained her maiden WTA singles title on August 4th, defeating Camila Giorgi in the Citi Open. Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 28 and a career-high WTA doubles ranking of No. 55, both attained on May 17, 2021.
Other Ventures
In conjugation to her sports careers, Jessica is a successful business entrepreneur as well. Particularly, in August 2016, Pegula and her sister established “Healthy Scratch”, a quick-serve restaurant in Buffalo, New York’s LECOM Harborcenter, an ice hockey-themed mixed-use development owned by her parents. In the meantime, the Healthy Scratch business was to be expanded to include food truck service the following year. Likewise, Pegula launched her own skincare line, “Ready 24,” the same year.
Besides, Terry and Kim Pegula, her parents, possess a chunk of property in New York and Pennsylvania. They’ve brought multimillion-dollar houses to Pittsburgh and paid $2.5 million for an 11,159-square-foot villa in Western New York known as Aurora Estate. Additionally, her father also owns the luxury boat “The Top Five yacht,” which was built by Hakvoort in 2021. Apparently, Sinot Yacht Design created the super-yacht.
Pegula’s Personal-life & Relationships
Regarding her personal life and relationships, Jessica Pegula recently married her longtime lover, Taylor Gagahen, in October 2021. Based on their media updates, the couple allegedly started dating somewhere around 2015. Moreover, they do not have a child yet.
As per inside sources, Gagahen is a senior investment analyst from the United States. In addition, Taylor reportedly worked for Jessica’s parents’ organization, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, for seven years. Thereafter, he went on to work as a director of corporate development and brand strategy.
Eventually, he served in marketing for the Pegulas’ NHL professional hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres. Reportedly, Goldhagen earned his MBA from Canisius College and graduated from the State University of New York at Fredonia with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Besides, both Jessica and Taylor are huge dog and other pet animal enthusiast. As a matter of fact, Taylor is also well-known for his animal-related work. The 27-year-old co-founded “A Lending Paw”, an animal welfare organization that helps to locate new homes for rescued dogs.
Physique
The American professional tennis player, Jessica Pegula stands at 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall and weighs around 70 kg (154 lbs). Additionally, she also has a pair of beautiful brown eyes. Moreover, her dark brown hair is soft and straight, and she appears exquisite in it. Also, she is a frequent exerciser who visits the gym on a daily basis.
Social Media Handles of Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula has an impressive presence on the social media platforms where she has amassed a sizable fan-following. Likewise, Pegula also has 37.1k Instagram followers and 31.2k Twitter followers as of May 2022.
Jessica Pegula | |
Jessica Pegula |
Net Worth of Jessica Pegula
Jessie Pegula was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and lives a luxury lifestyle as the heiress to her family’s billion-dollar fortune. As of June 2022, her father’s net worth surpasses $6.4 billion, while her mother’s net worth is above $100 million.
Furthermore, Jessie has made a substantial sum of money from her professional tennis career since her professional debut in 2009. In the meantime, Jessica Pegula’s net worth is expected to be at $3 million as of 2022, according to sources. However, there is no verified information about her annual income on the innertubes.
Additional Facts about Jessica Pegula
- Pegula started playing tennis when she was seven years old.
- In February 2019, Pegula achieved the ATP women’s top 100.
- Likewise, in the 2019 Volvo Car Open – Singles, she defeated world No. 12 Anastasija Sevastova.
- And, in the 2021 Italian Open, she defeated world No. 2 Naomi Osaka for the first time in her career.
- Remarkably, Jessica broke into the top 30 for the first time after the one at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships.
- Previously, Jesse Levine served as her tennis coach.
- Particularly, Pegula is a skilled powerful player and was a right-handed player (two-handed backhand).
- Apparently, her mother Kim S. Pegula was adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr when she was five years old.
- Nonetheless, David Witt is her current coach.