WTA Berlin: Coco Gauff's Intense Fight With Jessica Pegula Forces ...

Against and, together, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, are caught in the toughest situation! While the fans might enjoy their recent face-off, which got suspended, putting a halt to the competition in Berlin. But this is not the first time that doubles partners turned rivals, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, have been there. Recently, the American tennis legend, related to the friend-turned-rival scenario and shared her take on it.

Evert took to her Twitter handle to share about the Gauff-Pegula scene going against each other, referring to her own time with Navratilova. She wrote, “As I watch this @JPegula @CocoGauff match, I realize how tough it is competing against your friend/ practice partner/ doubles partner.” 

Renowned doubles partners Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were paired against each other in the WTA Berlin Open singles semifinals. Pegula showed her tenacity by winning the opening set 7–5, capping an intense encounter. The match proceeded to a tiebreaker as the second set grew more intense as both competitors battled to a 6-6 draw. The game has been suspended, though, and will begin tomorrow.

However, fans are excited to see this exciting battle continue, even though the result is still up in the air.  On the other hand, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s rivalry is praised as one of the best in tennis history and in general. The two competed in an astounding 80 matches between 1973 and 1988, 60 of which were championship series.

With a 43–37 lead in their overall head-to-head record and a more commanding 36–24 lead in the finals, Navratilova has a slight advantage. However, when it comes to Gauff-Pegula, they have made their priorities clear, emphasizing their goal by the end of this year.

The 30-year-old has recovered from her rib injury and is now able to play both singles and doubles. Gauff and Pegula announced at the conclusion of the previous year that they were going to concentrate more on singles. Pegula said, “We definitely want to play the Olympics next year. I think, maybe once we get past that, we’ll rethink about [our partnership].”

On the other hand, after winning her first major doubles title a few weeks ago, teaming with Katerina Siniakova for the Roland Garros trophy, Gauff opened up about her goal. The 20-year-old stated, “After I lost the first two (doubles) finals, I thought, well, okay, I reached that point; maybe I should focus on singles.” 

However, while even the participation in the WTA event in Berlin came out as a surprise for Gauff-Pegula fans, the fun might not last long. Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on double partners turning into rivals? Do let us know in the comment section below.