Jessica Pegula praises Miami Open’s court speed change for suiting her game

Jessica Pegula made light work of Leylah Fernandez, winning in straight sets to advance at the Miami Open.

The American gave up just four games on her way to booking a fourth-round matchup against Jaqueline Cristian.

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Pegula’s strong serving has been a major factor behind her smooth progress in Miami, and if she gets past Cristian, Elena Rybakina could be waiting for her next.

Pegula credits changes in Miami for boosting her play

She believes that a few adjustments to this year’s tournament setup have played a role in that success. This year’s event features slower courts, which Pegula feels are working in her favour.

This comes after comments from tennis star Carlos Alcaraz, who had previously voiced his opinion on how the balls were behaving at this year’s event. Pegula has yet to drop a set at the Miami Open and was in control throughout her win over Fernandez.

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Speaking after the match, Pegula said: “I thought I played really good. I executed everything that I wanted to do out there and just stayed super focused.

“We all know Leylah competes so well and can turn matches very quickly. I didn’t really want to get into that with her today.

“I’m really happy with how I served at the end. I think I’m playing some of the best tennis I’ve played. Forehand, backhand, serve, moving really well.

“I just think I’ve become a much better player. And I think you have to be in order to compete at a high level with the depth in the women’s game.”

Pegula highlighted how much faster the courts are compared to Indian Wells, where she exited in the quarter-finals.

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“I like the fast courts. The speed stays low and kind of skids a bit, and I think that feeds into my game style. Indian Wells was much quicker this year.

“When I played on Stadium Two and some of the outside courts, I thought it was much faster and I was appreciative of that. The balls were blowing up and everything got super slow. It definitely needed to speed up.”

The conditions in Miami seem to be playing into Pegula’s hands this week, while she continues to climb up the rankings as world number five.

Jessica Pegula’s strong start to 2026

Pegula has kicked off the 2026 season in fine form, boasting an 18-3 record and already adding a WTA 1000 title from Dubai to her name.

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So far this year, only two players have managed to get the better of her. Elena Rybakina has done it twice, while Marta Kostyuk is the only other player to hand Pegula a defeat.

Rybakina was responsible for knocking Pegula out of both the Australian Open and Indian Wells, while Kostyuk got the better of her at the Brisbane International semi-finals early in the year.

Since then, though, Pegula has been flawless against opponents outside the top five.

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