Not Even 'Cotton Eye Joe' Could Derail Her Game. Meet Jessica Pegula, Canadian Open Champ and New Tennis Hot Shot The tennis pro is the daughter of Buffalo Bill's co-owner and billionaire, Terry Pegula.
By Sam Silverman •
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Pegula's semi-finals match at the Canadian Open was interrupted by "Cotton Eye Joe," but she went on to win the WTA 1000 final.
- Her father is billionaire sports team owner Terry Pegula.
Tennis champion Jessica Pegula has made headlines for her game on the court, no matter the distraction. On Sunday, she won the National Bank Open marking her third WTA Tour victory.
However, Pegula is known for more than just her tennis skills as the daughter of Buffalo Bill's co-owner and billionaire Terry Pegula. The tennis star also made headlines after sipping a beer following her loss at last year's US Open.
Last week, her semi-final match at the Open went viral after it was interrupted by the sound of "Cotton Eye Joe" playing over the loudspeaker.
From her game to her family, keep scrolling for more details about Jessica Pegula.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images | Jessica Pegula of the United States of America holds up the National Bank Open trophy after her 6-1, 6-0 victory against Liudmila Samsonova in the final round on Day 7 during the National Bank Open at Stade IGA on August 13, 2023 in Montreal, Canada.
Who Is Jessica Pegula?
As of press time, Jessica Pegula is ranked No. 3 in the world for Women's Singles and No. 5 for Women's Doubles, according to WTA Tennis.
The athlete has been playing tennis since she was seven years old.
She won her first WTA title in 2019, before winning her second title in 2022 after defeating four Grand Slam champions at Guadalajara.
She made headlines after a video of her sipping a beer after her loss at last year's US Open against Iga Swiatek went viral.
Remembering this epic Jessica Pegula moment when she cracked open a beer after her loss to Iga Swiatek at the US Open
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 12, 2023
"It does help ease the loss"
11 months later & she gets the win.
Someone get this lady a victory beer
pic.twitter.com/wLnAv2wj1w
What happened at Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek's "Cotton Eye Joe" Interrupted Match?
During Jessica Pegula's heated match against Iga Swiatek at the National Bank Open in Canada on Saturday, the second-set tiebreaker was derailed by "Cotton Eye Joe."
The song, which was played at New York Yankees' games during the 8th inning for years, was blasted over a loudspeaker while the two were in the middle of a rally, forcing them to replay the point.
Clips of the unlikely incident have since gone viral on social media.
Yo DJ what are we doing
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 12, 2023
Cotton Eye Joe was played MID-POINT! #OBN23 pic.twitter.com/bfD1uFfquR
"I just thought it was funny," Pegula said about the "Cotton Eye Joe" interruption, per Reuters. "I've never had that happen let alone with 'Cotton-Eye Joe'. I was like, 'Is this really happening right now?' Of all the songs. It was just like, 'What is going on?'"
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Swiatek won the tiebreaker, forcing a third match where Pegula beat the No. 1 women's singles star 6 to 4. Pegula went on to win her third WTA 1000 final on Sunday after beating Liudmila Samsonova in the finals.
Who Are Jessica Pegula's Parents and Family?
While Pegula has made a name for herself on the court, she isn't the only one invested in athletics in her family.
The tennis star is the daughter of Buffalo Bill's co-owners Terry and Kim Pegula. Terry is ranked No. 255 on Bloomberg's Billionaire's Index with an estimated fortune of $8.66 billion. Terry earned his riches after founding natural gas producer, East Resources, in 1983. He sold the company to Royal Dutch Shell in 2010 for $4.7 billion, per Bloomberg.
He went on to buy the NHL's Buffalo Sabres pro hockey franchise and the team's arena for $189 million in 2011.
He and his wife are also the principal owners of the Buffalo Bills football franchise after purchasing the team for $1.4 billion in 2014.
Jessica Pegula married Taylor Gahagen in 2021. He's worked as a senior investment analyst and has been an executive at the family's investment firm, Pegula Sports and Entertainment, since 2013, according to his LinkedIn.
What Is Jessica Pegula's Net Worth?
To date, Pegula has taken home $10,184,118 million in prize money, per WTA Tennis, and has an estimated net worth of $7 to $10 million according to various sources.
