Jessica Pegula, often described as the world’s richest tennis player, produced one of the most dominant performances of her career at the Italian Open after recording a rare “double bagel” victory over Rebeka Masarova to reach the fourth round. The American world No. 5 defeated the Swiss player 6-0, 6-0 in exactly one hour, winning every single game across both sets in a completely one-sided contest. In tennis, a “double bagel” refers to a player winning a match 6-0, 6-0, meaning the opponent fails to win a single game across the entire match. It was the first double bagel of Pegula’s WTA Tour career. Masarova entered the match after causing a major upset in the previous round by defeating 25th seed Leylah Fernandez, but the world No. 160 had no answer to Pegula’s relentless control and consistency in Rome. The Swiss player won just 25 of the 83 points played during the match, with only seven of those points coming on Pegula’s serve.
Pegula extends incredible run in Rome
The victory means Pegula has now won three consecutive bagel sets at the tournament. Before demolishing Masarova, the American had already defeated Zeynep Sönmez 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match. Across those two victories, Pegula has now won 19 consecutive games in Rome. The result also marks her best run at the Italian Open since reaching the quarter-finals on her tournament debut back in 2021. Pegula will next face Anastasia Potapova for a place in the quarter-finals. Potapova has been one of the more consistent players during the current clay-court swing.
Pegula reacts to first double bagel of career
Speaking after the match to Tennis Channel, Pegula admitted she could not remember ever recording a 6-0, 6-0 victory at WTA Tour level before. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a double bagel on WTA tour levels. Ever? Really? I don’t think so,” Pegula said. “I think maybe 0 and 1, maybe a few times, but not 0-0. “I’m super happy with the way I played every single point, won every single game. “Even when I was down, I think a couple of games like love-40 and stuff like that, I just tried my best to always stay in the game, no matter what the scoreline was.”
United States’ Jessica Pegula returns the ball to Switzerland’s Rebeka Masarova, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Following her earlier win over Sönmez, Pegula had also spoken about the challenges of returning to competition after her defeat to Marta Kostyuk at the Madrid Open. “I haven’t played since I lost in Madrid,” Pegula said. “I feel like sometimes with a lot of time going by, practising a lot, I stayed over here, didn’t go home; I think you’re a little on edge where your game is at going into a competitive match, playing against someone who already won a round or something like that. Yeah, always tricky. “But thought I played really solid. Nothing crazy. Had kind of a tough first set and then played some good tennis in the second. “Was doing everything pretty well. So just happy I was able to kind of handle maybe the first-match nerves pretty well today.” Kostyuk would later go on to win the Madrid title.
World’s richest tennis player moves closer to major prize money
Pegula is frequently described as the world’s richest tennis player because of her family’s enormous fortune. Her parents, Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula, own a business and sports empire reportedly worth more than $7.5 billion (£5.5bn), with interests spanning oil, gas and several professional sports franchises. Although Pegula herself has earned more than $18 million in career prize money and is reportedly worth around $13 million personally, her family wealth places her in a financial category far beyond any other player in tennis, and her run in Rome could still add significantly to those earnings. By reaching the last 16, the American has already secured 120 ranking points and $93,655 in prize money, while lifting the Italian Open title would reportedly earn her around $1.24 million.
Pegula still competing in doubles
Despite spending only an hour on court against Masarova, Pegula’s schedule in Rome is far from over, with the American also competing in the doubles draw alongside Storm Hunter. The pair are set to face Erin Routliffe and Jelena Ostapenko in their opening doubles match as Pegula continues a busy week at the tournament.