Jessica Pegula advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 US Open after coming back to defeat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Next up, Pegula takes Sorana Cirstea on Sunday, September 6. The No. 3 seed at Flushing Meadows has a chance to become the world No. 1 women’s tennis player if she wins her first career Grand Slam in New York.
Pegula said of her first set against Fernandez, “Honestly, can’t be much worse. Like it was not great on all the stats and everything… I’m going to have to find something here… So to me, it’s definitely about trying to focus on my service game and trying to hone in on that, and then maybe taking a little bit more risk on return games.”
While the 32-year-old is focused on defeating Cirstea, she announced some exciting news regarding Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Sunday morning.
Bills QB Josh Allen Joined Jessica Pegula’s Podcast Before Her Match Against Sorana Cirstea
Pegula, daughter of billionaire Bills owner Terry Pegula, had the inside track to book Allen on “The Player’s Box” podcast, which she co-hosts with American tennis stars Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk.
Brady was the most surprised — she couldn’t believe Allen was talking to them live.
While Allen is typically hesitant to discuss his personal life, he spoke openly about his wife, Hailee Steinfeld, and the “more embarrassing moment of my life” in their Unforced Error segment. He described joining Steinfeld in France for Paris Fashion Week two years ago and how his pants split from hip to knee while they were at dinner.
“They were brand new pants,” Allen said, noting how he went “fancy” shopping with Steinfeld beforehand. The 30-year-old also spoke about how Steinfeld and their baby girl, Harper Haize,” joined him in Buffalo last week. “Any off time I have, I want to spend with them.”
Bills QB Josh Allen ‘Passed’ Girls Dad Training Camp With Jessica Pegula and Co.
Pegula and her co-hosts grilled Allen in what they called “Girl Dad Training Camp,” where they asked him what he’ll do in certain situations. The first question was regarding what he’d do if his daughter wanted to quit a sport after a loss.
“Would you A, let her quit. B, give her 24 hours and talk about it, or C, [say] ‘We’re the Allens, get back out there.'” The 2024 league MVP answered, “I’d like to say if we’re going to start something, we’re going to finish it,” giving a mix between B and C as his final answer.
Another question was if Harper is “incredibly talented, but doesn’t work very hard” — what would he do?
“It’s not going to happen. So, I’m not even going to answer,” Allen joked at first, before giving a real answer. “Her mom works extremely hard, and I think she would look at me and say I work extremely hard and hopefully she would follow in our footsteps,” he said.
Bills Owner’s Daughter Jessica Pegula’s Surprise From Josh Allen at US Open