Pegula on Playoffs: Stab in the Heart

By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, January 19, 2026
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis

Jessica Pegula is a master multi-tasker, but that fact only deepened her playoff pain.

Pegula practiced with both eyes on the ball—and both ears on the Bills—in Melbourne.

The sixth-ranked Pegula, whose family owns the Buffalo Bills, joined overseas members of Bills Mafia listening to her team suffer a heartbreaking 33-30 NFL playoff overtime loss to the host Denver Broncos.

To make matters worse, Bills fans argued quarterback Josh Allen’s intercepted pass in OT should have been ruled a catch by Bills wideout Brandin Cooks.

Brandin Cooks CAUGHT THAT FOOTBALL!!!! Reverse the call #Bills #Broncos pic.twitter.com/gDfw2pyLRz

— Alex Monaco (@Alex__Monaco) January 18, 2026

Following her Australian Open first-round win, Pegula called Buffalo’s loss “a stab in the heart.”

“Yeah, yesterday sucked, not going to lie. I was not happy. Not a happy camper,” Pegula told the media in Melbourne. “Tough game. Tough loss. How we lost was also — you know, it just was like a stab in the heart kind of situation. It just wasn’t fun, yeah.”

It was even less fun for Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was axed today.

Though Pegula was practicing during the end of the game, she heard it all go down on court in Melbourne Park.

“I was actually practicing during from 11:00 to 12:00, so actually I practiced with an earbud in
and had the stream on my phone so I could just at least hear what was going on, because it was pretty much to the end right before we went into the overtime,” Pegula said. “Then the game pretty much ended. It was an important part of the game.

“I don’t know why my coach booked practice that time. That was his fault, but it was the only time we could get a court.”

The former US Open finalist said the loss fired her up, but she didn’t carry that emotion on court for her 6-2, 6-1 AO win over Anastasia Zakharova.

 “I mean, it doesn’t affect me when I’m out there on court, but you do get, like, a little fired up, because
you’re, like, upset about the loss, maybe some of the calls, how we played,” Pegula said, alluding to that controversial interception call. “Then you see the Broncos’ quarterback [Bo Nix] is out for the rest of the season for sure getting surgery, and you are, like, oh, my gosh, that could have been us.

“There’s a lot of emotions I think that run hot, especially with my family when we’re texting and calling each other and stuff like that. When it comes match day, you kind of forget about all that. I have other things to kind of focus on.”

Three-time AO quarterfinalist Pegula’s multi-tasking skills will be put to the test in the second round. Pegula is set to face compatriot McCartney Kessler, who is also her doubles partner in the AO doubles draw. The pair are set to play Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in their doubles opener.

“A really tough second round, playing against an American, playing against a girl I’m playing doubles with
here. So there’s just a lot of dynamics.

“She’s a great girl. I know her team really well, her husband and her brother. My coach actually used to
coach her brother at the University of Florida. So there’s a little bit of a connection there. It’s kind of a shame that we have to play each other second round, but she’s a really good player.

“Unbelievable competitor. Hits a pretty big ball and is really dangerous, so I’m going to have to do my best to kind of use my experience and try and come up with a game plan…. Yeah, it will be interesting to see how that goes.”