I can end this year knowing that I best player: Jessica Pegula makes laments tough Rybakina loss but ends 2025 season pleased Due To…

Jessica Pegula was candid in defeat after a narrow loss at the 2025 WTA Finals, admitting that the result “sucks” but taking pride in the level of tennis she produced and the progress she’s made throughout the season.

Pegula for most of the early part of the season in particular was perhaps the player to fear as she won a first clay court title but also she went through some adversity where she barely won a game for some months until she then made it count reaching the semi-finals of the US Open.

Albeit not the US Open final which in reality was a tough act to follow she leaves this year in a lot better position in her mind and also with a stable team who continue to see her progression and how she is managing her game also against the big names.

Pegula was a set up against Elena Rybakina before she was defeated 6-4, 4-6, 3-6 in favour of the Kazakh who now faces either Aryna Sabalenka or Amanda Anisimova who are into a final set and she in particular lamented the fact that in her mind she was gifting free points to her on every service game which made it a mountain to climb.

“It’s a tough loss,” Pegula said after the match to Reem Abulleil of AFP. “She played really well in some big moments. I felt like I just got a little unlucky with the let cord and a couple of shots here and there. But kudos to her — she played some really good tennis and was always serving well.”

The American noted that the conditions made it difficult to counter her opponent’s powerful serve. “On these courts, especially with her serve, it’s tough when she’s getting free points every single game,” she said. “But regardless, I thought I played at a really high level today.”

Despite the disappointment of falling short at the year-end championships, Pegula was upbeat about the strides she’s made over the course of 2025. “I had a great season,” she reflected. “I felt like I became a better player this year. I worked on some things and was able to use them during matches, which is something you’re always striving for as a player.”

Pegula said that sense of improvement gives her confidence heading into the offseason. “I can end this year knowing that I became a better player and hopefully get excited to work on some things I know I want to improve,” she explained. “Then hopefully I can do the same thing next year.”

Her coaching team, too, has noticed the difference. “They were really excited,” Pegula said. “Even talking about our schedule next year, they felt like I was playing some of the best tennis they’ve seen me play. That’s always encouraging because I only started working with them not even two years ago.”

Pegula added that her progress has been evident not just in results, but in how she’s handled matchups against the game’s elite. “I’ve improved a lot in how I play certain players — whether it’s Aryna, Elena, or Coco, whoever,” she said. “They’ve really seen that growth, and it’s exciting to hear that from them.”

For most players, they can’t wait to get away after a long arduous year but for Pegula despite that also likely being the case knowing that there is something there to work on and going into 2026 positive will no doubt give her solace after a crushing loss in the semi-finals.

While Rybakina continues to stride on through having qualified late for the tournament anyway in the final events, she is very much on the free roll that pre tournament form gives and is riding it to the final. Albeit with her shoulder injury, she could yet find it tough against her prospective opponent.