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Top-seeded Jessica Pegula battled through a strong headwind and a determined McCartney Kessler on Sunday to claim the ATX Open title, 7-5, 6-2, marking her first win of 2025 and the seventh of her career.
Pegula, ranked No. 4 in the world, faced Kessler, a college standout now making waves as a top 50 player, in the first All-American final on U.S. soil since 2017, when Sloane Stephens defeated Madison Keys at Flushing Meadows. With No. 3 Coco Gauff and No. 5 Keys also in the top 5, the U.S. now boasts three women in the elite ranks.
“I think Americans love feeling patriotic, pushing each other, and always want the American players to be the best,” Pegula said about the U.S. women’s presence on tour. “We do an amazing job of supporting each other, and it’s been really fun. When you grow up practicing with these girls, living near each other, and seeing them succeed, you think, ‘I practice with her all the time. I beat her in practice… I can do the same thing.’”
Kessler, 25, who spent four and a half years at the University of Florida, still sees her game as a work in progress, despite a stellar past six months, including two WTA titles, one in Hobart, Australia, to start the year. Recently, she defeated Gauff in Dubai and was aiming for her second top-5 win in a month. But Pegula, who turned 31 last week, combines competitiveness with grace.
“I feel like I get extra fired up playing against an American, too,” Pegula said. “Like, ‘This is still my ground a little bit,’ especially for the younger players out there. I was just trying to use my experience today, but it was a really fun week.”
Although this was their first official meeting, Pegula had practiced with Kessler ahead of the ATX Open. “I was kind of hoping we’d play a final here, so I’m glad we did,” Pegula told the crowd during the trophy ceremony.
Kessler, unfortunately, ended the day 0-2 in finals, as she and Zhang Shuai lost the doubles final to Anna Blinkova and Yuan Yue, 3-6, 6-1, 10-4 in the championship tiebreak. “Well, this feels a little like deja vu,” Kessler said during her second trophy ceremony as a runner-up.
In the singles final, Kessler kept the opening set tight and had her chances to win it. Pegula started strong, breaking for a 2-0 lead after Kessler double-faulted into the wind. But Pegula struggled with her groundstrokes and Kessler’s power, getting broken twice as Kessler took a 4-2 lead. Serving for a 5-3 lead, Kessler couldn’t control her volleys or groundstrokes, practically gifting Pegula two break points with errant backhand volleys. Another long forehand leveled the set at 4-4. At 5-5, 30-40, Kessler missed an easy backhand that would have let her serve for the set, followed by two missed forehands, giving Pegula a 6-5 lead.
Pegula seized the moment. After a double fault from Kessler brought the score to 30-30, Pegula hit a volley winner for her first set point. A back-and-forth ensued, but Pegula’s brilliant backhand pass down the line gave her another set point, and Kessler’s missed backhand and double fault sealed the set for Pegula, who won every opening set during the ATX Open.
Kessler, determined as always, refused to blame the elements. “It’s difficult playing in the wind, but your opponent’s also playing in the wind,” she said. “Sometimes you have to try to use it to your advantage. No one loves to play in the wind because it’s not pretty tennis. But I feel like I was playing good enough tennis to come out on top. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. But whoever handles it best wins.”
Though Kessler broke Pegula at the start of the second set, Pegula broke right back and never looked back. She noted that the wind “calmed down a smidge,” allowing her to find her timing. “I didn’t want to start going for too many shots and giving her free points, because that’s what she wanted.”
DOUBLES
Anna Blinkova and Yuan Yue, the 2024 ATX Open singles champion, showcased their dominance in the doubles final, clinching the title, 3-6, 6-1,10-4. After a tough loss in the singles final to Pegula, Kessler didn’t have much time to reflect on her setback, as she and Zhang played their doubles final just 30 minutes later. Despite the quick turnaround, after three straight breaks, they took control in the opening set. However, the momentum shifted in the second set and Blinkova and Yuan broke twice to force a decider tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Blinkova and Yuan’s experience shone through and while Kessler and Zhang fought hard they struggled to maintain their earlier level of play, especially when Zhang lost her serve twice.
“The tiebreakers – they go so quick and can go either way,” Kessler said. “They came out serving well and playing great at the net, and took it away from us.”
Blinkova credited Yuan’s energy: “My partner told me to enjoy the moment, and we did.”
Yuan leaves Austin proudly – now the only player to be named the singles (2024) and doubles (2025) champion of the ATX Open.
