Pegula on the Margarita Incident: "Sabalenka Took Three Titles from Me, I Had to Steal Something from Her"
In recent days, Jessica Pegula reached the final of the WTA 1000 in Miami. The American, ranked world No. 4, stumbled at the last hurdle, as Aryna Sabalenka triumphed in Florida for the first time in her career (7-5, 6-2).
Much like the finals in Cincinnati and the US Open last year, the WTA's top-ranked player once again got the better of Pegula. However, moments after the final, the two players shared an unusual moment for Tennis Channel's cameras.
While Sabalenka was on set answering journalists' questions, Pegula barged in during the live broadcast and snatched the Belarusian's Margarita glass. Eventually, the two players clinked glasses, and the American made a quick exit.
After her straight-sets victory over Iryna Shymanovich (6-0, 6-3) in the second round of the WTA 500 tournament in Charleston, Pegula was interviewed by Tennis Channel and revisited the moment that had made Sabalenka laugh at the time.
"Aryna took three trophies from me, so I had to steal something from her! I figured I might as well take her Margarita. It tasted good, and I enjoyed it, but it was just a fun moment.
I was tired of watching her sip her cocktail the same way she dominates opponents on the court. I know she’s outgoing, so I thought it would be a fun thing to do in the moment.
That said, she played really well, so kudos to her," Pegula joked. She will face Ajla Tomljanovic in the Charleston round of 16 this Thursday.
