Jessica Pegula Posts Emotional Note After Australian Open Loss With Buffalo Brag

The tennis star and daughter of Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula exits in the semifinals.

Jan 28, 2026; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Jessica Pegula of United States celebrates her victory over Amanda Anisimova of United States in the quarterfinals of the women’s singles at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park. | Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Jessica Pegula’s quest to win her first Grand Slam ended after a nice run into the semifinals at the Australian Open. She left proud of her efforts in an emotional note, and also proud of a Buffalo team.

The 31-year-old No. 6 Pegula lost in straight sets to No. 5 Elena Rybakina one win away from making the finals in Melbourne.

Pegula had a lot to celebrate in Australia | Mike Frey-Imagn Images

RELATED: Jessica Pegula's Husband Taylor in Spotlight With Ties to Her Dad's Bills Fortune

She did make the finals at the 2024 U.S. Open where her dad Terry Pegula went viral for his $100M yacht parked outside the US Open to watch his daughter play.

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Pegula grew up in Buffalo, New York, where her dad purchased the Buffalo Sabres NHL team in 2011 and the Buffalo Bills in 2014. He’s currently worth some $9.3 billion according to Forbes.

Speaking of the Sabres, the team is on quite the run (19-3-1) that Pegula made sure to call out on her social media.

Jessica Pegula praises the Buffalo Sabres. | Jessica Pegula/Instagram

RELATED: Jessica Pegula net worth feels wildly modest with billionaire Bills owner father

She had an emotional note after her loss on Thursday on her way out: “Leaving Melbourne with lots of feelings. Grateful for every second and the challenge to get better every day is what continuously drives me crazy and motivates me. Still feel as hungry as ever. Hopefully I can continue to show that the rest of the year. Thank you melbs 🤍 @australianopen and good luck to the girls in the finals 👏🏼“

She also had this post at 2:30 in the morning local time: “I write this at 2:30am post doping and a car booked to the airport in 6hrs 😂”

Jessica Pegula after losing in the Australian Open. | Jessica Pegula/Instagram

She’ll make it in time for tonight’s Sabres game at home vs. the Los Angles Kings if she chooses to.

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