Pour one out for Jessica Pegula, who signs off after going through “the Iga bakery factory” at WTA Finals
The American—who famously sipped on a Heineken during a press conference after a US Open loss—stayed true to form after her Cancun defeat with another classic social media post.
After a dominant week in Cancun, Jessica Pegula’s undefeated streak in Mexico came to a somewhat anticlimactic end when the American suffered a lopsided 6-1, 6-0 defeat to Iga Swiatek in the championship match of the WTA Finals.
Pegula—who once munched on Doritos after getting bageled on her birthday and famously sipped on a Heineken during a US Open press conference after her quarterfinal loss—stayed true to form after her Cancun defeat with another classic post-loss snap.
“Ended the year going through the Iga bakery factory lol,” the American shared on Instagram Stories, along with a photo of a well-earned cocktail on a candle-lit dinner table. “Jokes aside, 2023 in the books!"
While that scoreline must certainly sting for Pegula, if it’s any consolation at least she’s in good company: Across five matches at the WTA Finals, Swiatek handed out either a 6-0 or a 6-1 set—or a bagel and a breadstick, respectively, in Tennis Twitter lingo—on four occasions. Pegula also joins Marketa Vondrousova, who lost to Swiatek 7-6 (3), 6-0; Coco Gauff, who lost 6-0, 7-5; and Ons Jabeur, who lost 6-1, 6-2.
The only player who avoided the dreaded “Iga bakery factory” in Cancun was Aryna Sabalenka, who was defeated 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Still, Pegula told press that she has plenty to be proud of after enduring through a challenging week at the WTA Finals. Having gone 0-3 last year in singles, this year the American reached her biggest career final without dropping a set.
“I think it was a great week… There's a lot more positives than negatives, really, the only negative was today,” she said on Monday in Cancun. “But you know, I'd much rather lose today in the final against the No. 1 player than to go out early, like I did last year. So to me, it's still an improvement.
“I'm just trying to look at the positives of the entire year, and then the end of the week. And just trying to stay positive about my year, and hopefully take that into next year.”
With a consolation cocktail in hand, Pegula signed off on a 2023 season that saw her claim WTA titles in Seoul and her second 1000-level trophy in Montreal. Pegula also reached the finals in Tokyo and Doha.
Pegula is set to start the season Down Under at the new-look United Cup in Perth representing Team USA alongside Taylor Fritz.