Jessica Pegula reaches US Open fourth round

In the United States, world No. 3 Jessica Pegula defeated 31st seed Leylah Fernandez and advanced to the fourth round of the US Open. In her next match, the American tennis player is set to face Romanian Sorana Cirstea, who is seeded 16th.

As Fortune reports, 32-year-old Pegula is ranked third in the WTA rankings and continues her bid for her first Grand Slam title. With a successful performance at the tournament, she could also become the first American woman in more than a decade to top the WTA rankings after Serena Williams.

Career and contracts

According to the publication, Pegula has earned more than $26 million in prize money from tournament appearances. She also has endorsement deals with IBM, Hyatt and The Farmer’s Dog.

The tennis player began playing at the age of seven, and in 2011, at age 17, received a wildcard into the US Open main draw in doubles. Four years later, she made her debut in the tournament's singles draw.

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Pegula has said that she understands the privileges and opportunities she had thanks to her family's wealth, but did not want to waste them. According to her, the family became wealthy when she was 17 or 18, and before that she had already been developing as a promising tennis player.

The Pegula family's wealth

The athlete's father, Terry Pegula, founded the independent oil and gas company East Resources in 1983, borrowing $7,500 from family and friends. In 2010, he sold most of the company to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion, and in 2014 sold assets worth another $1.75 billion.

After that, Terry Pegula invested in professional sports. In 2011, he bought the NHL's Buffalo Sabres for $189 million, and in 2014, the NFL's Buffalo Bills for $1.4 billion. Fortune estimates the combined wealth of Terry Pegula and his wife Kim at approximately $9.3 billion.

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