Wealthy heiress Pegula faces tough challengers on her path to the Grand Slam semifinals, inevitably encountering the "Double B" blockade.

Talking about American player Pegula, many fans know her well. Since her father is the owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, she is commonly called a rich heiress. At one point, Chinese players Yuan Yue and Zhang Shuai expressed gratitude for being flown directly to tournaments by her private jet, while Pegula herself has worked hard to achieve impressive results.

However, at Grand Slam events, whenever she reaches at least the semifinals, she always faces two particular opponents. So far, she has not yet defeated either of them in a Grand Slam. Who exactly are these two players? And at which Grand Slam tournaments did Pegula encounter them? This article will take you through the details.

In June 2024, as a seeded player, she received a first-round bye at the WTA 500 Berlin Open. Afterwards, Pegula consecutively defeated Croatia’s Vekic, Czech Republic’s Siniakova, compatriot Gauff, and Russia’s Kalinskaya to claim her first career grass-court tour title. Perhaps winning this title boosted her confidence, as she successfully defended her Rogers Cup crown in August and then surged at the US Open, reaching her first Grand Slam final. In the final, her opponent was Belarusian player Sabalenka.

Unlike Pegula, who had only once reached the US Open quarterfinals before, Sabalenka had made at least the semifinals at the US Open for four consecutive years. Having already won two Grand Slam titles, Sabalenka proved stronger in this match, defeating Pegula in straight sets 6–3, 7–5 to claim her first US Open championship. This marked Pegula’s first time being stopped by one of the "Double B" players—Sabalenka—after reaching at least the semifinals of a Grand Slam, leaving her to settle for runner-up.

In the 2025 season, Pegula reached the final of the WTA 1000 Miami Open in mid-March, marking her first career final at this event. Then, at the end of March, she fought her way through the WTA 500 Charleston Open to win her first career clay-court tour title. In late August, Pegula continued her strong form at the US Open, winning five consecutive matches and reaching the Grand Slam semifinals for the second time in her career. Once again, her opponent in the semifinals was Sabalenka.

In this match, the confident Pegula took the first set 6–4 and seemed close to victory. Unfortunately, Sabalenka adjusted her strategy and came back to win the next two sets 6–3, 6–4, overturning the match and continuing her US Open title defense. Pegula had to reluctantly accept being blocked once again by Sabalenka, one of the "Double B," and leave the tournament disappointed.

A few days ago, Pegula arrived at the Australian Open, where she defeated compatriots Kessler, Keys, and Azarenka on her way to her first Australian Open semifinal. In the semifinals, her opponent was Kazakhstan’s Rybakina.

In the first set, Rybakina took it 6–3, gaining the advantage. In the second set, when Rybakina had match point, Pegula fought back fiercely to even the score and push the set to a tiebreak. The tiebreak was closely contested with the score going back and forth, but ultimately Rybakina won it, beating Pegula and reaching a Grand Slam final for the first time in three years. This was also Pegula’s first time being stopped by another of the "Double B," Rybakina, after reaching at least a Grand Slam semifinal. That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)