Jessica Pegula flies Austin finalists to Indian Wells on private jet
After taking part in the finals of the ATX Open on Sunday, McCartney Kessler, Zhang Shangyi, Yue Yuan and Anna Blinkova face a long next match in Wells, India – until Jessica Pegula stepped in.
Pegula, who beat her compatriot Kessler 7-5 6-2 in the Austin singles final, provided four players with her private jet to fly directly from Texas to California.
The world ranked fourth, and it wasn’t even after the Tag-Finals until Yue and Blinkova beat Kessler and Shuai 3-6, 6-1 10-4 to ensure everyone can make a 1,263-mile trip.
Otherwise, players will face a stopover in Los Angeles or travel to airports in Dallas and Houston with little time to prepare for the Indian Well, which started on Wednesday.
“She could have left after the singles final, but she was such a selfless and generous girl,” Zhang from China posted on Instagram.
“This news is not about showing that I am on a jet plane, (i) just want to appreciate and divert love.”
Russia’s Blinkova and China’s Yue shared Zhang’s story on Instagram, thanking Pegula, 31, whose billionaire parents owned the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabers.
Blinkova was drawn to play Kessler in the first round of the Indian Wells, while Yue will play Ukraine’s Dayana Yastreska.
Pegula is the fourth seed and has already received his first round goodbye. Zhang will participate in the doubles competition later in the game.
