Jessica Pegula is the top-ranked American tennis player

Jessica Pegula is working towards the next Grand Slam, the French Open in May.

Jessica Pegula just proved once again why she is the most resilient force in tennis, successfully defending her Credit One Charleston Open title on Sunday. 

As a result of her win in Charleston, the 32-year old Pegula is now the top-ranked American woman, having returned to a career-high ranking of world No. 3 overtaking Coco Gauff, who had previously been the top-ranked American, to claim the spot.

“I guess my super power for this week is, I don't know, maybe my stamina, my mental fortitude," said Pegula after her victory over Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva. "Maybe just a little bit lucky,"she added.

In a clinical 6-2, 6-2 masterclass against Starodubtseva, Pegula became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to go back-to-back in the Lowcountry.

For those tracking the steady rise of Asian American icons in sports, Pegula’s victory is more than just another trophy for the mantle. As a proud Korean American — the daughter of Kim Pegula, who was born in Seoul — Jessica continues to break barriers with a lunch-pail work ethic that has become her trademark on the WTA Tour.

Never say die

This wasn't an easy walk in the park. Before the dominant final, Pegula survived a gauntlet with four straight three-set matches leading up to the final and in which she trailed at least 0-2 in every deciding set of those matches. In total, she spent over 11 hours on court before even reaching Sunday's match.

The transition from hard court to clay may have something to do with her long matches earlier in the tournament. 

“I do think that this week is something that I can really build off of,” she said. “There's a lot of things that I feel like I can get better at that I'm not doing that well right now, that I feel have a lot to do with the surface change, just my footing, my footwork, like decision making."

Following her title defense in Charlotte, Pegula remains rock-solid at World No. 5 in the WTA rankings.

Charlotte is her second title of the 2026 season, following a win at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. Pegula now leads the WTA with 24 victories this season, moving ahead of No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.

View from the edge

She is officially the top-ranked Asian American tennis player in the world (male or female). While there is incredible talent across the continent—including stars like Leylah Fernandez (the top-ranked Asian Canadian) and Naomi Osaka — Pegula currently holds the highest global ranking of any player with North American-Asian heritage.

Pegula is shifting her focus to the European red clay as she prepares for the grueling road to the French Open in Paris which starts May 18. But first, her next tournament is The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany April 13-18.

Her "never-say-die" attitude — proven by her 11-hour marathon week in Charleston—is exactly the mindset needed to survive the European clay circuit.

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