Jessica Pegula pens down an emotional note after winning the Korea Open and getting close to her roots

Pegula's mother, Kim, was born in Seoul, South Korea before she was adopted by an American family at age 5.

Jessica Pegula pens down an emotional note after winning the Korea Open and getting close to her roots

Jessica Pegula lifting the Korean Open trophy (Image via @JPegula/X)

World No.4 Jessica Pegula breezed past Yue Yuan to win her second title of the season at the WTA 250 Korean Open on Sunday. The American No. 2 defeated the Chinese pro 6-2,6-3 to lift her 4th tour-level title. This was Pegula’s third final appearance of the season as she improved her season win/loss record to 55/17.

The tournament carried personal significance for the 29-year-old due to her half-Korean descent. Jessica’s mother, Kim Pegula, was born in Seoul where she was adopted by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr and brought to the United States.

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Dedicating the win to her mother in a post shared on the social media site ‘X’, Pegula wrote, “This one is extra special. I am half Korean. I don’t speak and I am still learning about my culture (my mom was adopted and left on a doorstep of a Korean police station) but I have been overwhelmed by the support from Korean fans.”

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She further continued, “My mom visited her orphanage here when I played this event 4 years ago. It was the first time she felt open about learning about her past. Her health struggles the past year made this tournament a goal to win. It has been such an honor to play in front of you.”

The American pro capped off the post with a thank-you greeting in Korean. Pegula enjoyed decent support from the Korean as she acknowledged their backing in the post-match interview. In 2019, she made her tournament debut when she took her mother to her former orphanage for the first time since she moved to the US.

Jessica has already confirmed her spot in the year-end WTA finals Championship to be played in Cancun, Mexico, starting October 29.

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Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff match Williams Sisters’ record as they qualify for the WTA Finals

American tennis stars Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, ranked World No.4 and 3 respectively, have scripted history and matched the Williams sisters, Serena Williams and Venus Williams, as they qualified for the 2023 WTA Finals. As Pegula and Gauff qualified for the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year, they became the first Americans to reach the event in consecutive years since Serena Williams and Venus Williams in 2008–09.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff with the US Open trophy (credits: Imago)

The pair have already qualified for the singles draw of the year-end championships.They have enjoyed significant success together this season as they won the Qatar Open and Miami Masters earlier this year, in addition to reaching two finals. The duo became the first all-USA team to reach the top spot in WTA doubles since 2012 after the recently concluded US Open.

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