By Richard Pagliaro Monday, January 19, 2026
Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Jessica Pegula She’s a master multitasker, but that fact only deepens her postseason pain.
Pegula practiced in Melbourne with his eyes on the ball and his ears on Beal.
No. 6 Pegula, whose family owns the Buffalo Bills, joined overseas members of the Bills mafia to listen to her team’s heartbreaking 33-30 overtime loss to the host Denver Broncos in the NFL playoffs.
To make matters worse, Bills fans thought quarterback Josh Allen’s intercepted pass in overtime should have been ruled a catch by Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Brandin Cooks discovered football! ! ! ! reverse call #bill #broncos pic.twitter.com/gDfw2pyLRz
— Alex Monaco (@Alex__Monaco) January 18, 2026
After her first-round win at the Australian Open, Pegula called Buffalo’s loss a “stab in the heart.”
“Yeah, yesterday was bad, I’m not going to lie. I’m not happy. Not a happy camper,” Pegula told media in Melbourne. “Tough game. Tough loss. The way we lost the game, too – you know, it was like a stab in the heart. It wasn’t fun, yeah.”
It’s even less fun for Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was fired today.
Although Pegula was practicing at the end of the game, she heard it all on the pitch at Melbourne Park.
“I actually practiced between 11:00 and 12:00, so I actually practiced with earbuds on
“I had the live stream on my phone so I could at least hear what was going on because the game was almost over before we went into overtime,” Pegula said. And then the game was pretty much over. This is an important part of the game.
“I don’t know why my coach booked that practice. It was his fault, but it was our only chance to play.”
The former US Open finalist said she was excited about the loss, but she didn’t carry those emotions with her on the court during her 6-2, 6-1 AO victory over Anastasia Zakharova.
“I mean, it doesn’t affect me when I’m on the court, but you do get a little excited because
Pegula said, referring to the controversial intercept call. “Then you see the Broncos quarterback [Bo Nix] Definitely missing the rest of the season with surgery, you think, oh my gosh, that could be us.
“I think there’s a lot of emotions that get heated up, especially when we’re texting each other and calling each other and stuff like that, and especially being with my family. When game day comes, you forget about all of that. I have other things to focus on.”
Three-time AO quarterfinalist Pegula’s multitasking skills will be put to the test in the second round. Pegula will face compatriot McCartney Kessler, who is also her doubles partner, in the AO doubles draw. The pair will face Gabriella Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the doubles opener.
“The second round was really tough, against an American, against a girl I was playing doubles with.
here. So there’s a lot of dynamics.
“She’s a great girl. I know her team, her husband and her brother very well. My coach actually used to
Her brother coaches at the University of Florida. So there’s a little connection there. It’s a shame we have to play in the second round, but she’s a really good player.
“Incredible competitor. Hitting a pretty big ball, really dangerous, so I’ve got to do my best and use my experience and try to come up with a game plan… Yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how things go.”
