Jessica Pegula receives Coco Gauff's words of support as she falls short of emulating the latter's US Open success with runner-up finish in 2024

Jessica Pegula might not have achieved the desired result in her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open but her impressive run would have made every American proud. Even her compatriot and the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff showed her support on Pegula's Instagram post.

The 30-year-old New Yorker entered the US Open after an incredible run to defend her title in Toronto. She also reached the final in Cincinnati, where she fell to Aryna Sabalenka. Pegula carried her rich vein of form into New York and broke her Grand Slam quarterfinals curse with a dominant win over top seed Iga Swiatek. She also bested Karolina Muchova in the semifinal, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, to feature in her first Major final.

Despite winning 15 of her last 16 matches heading into the final, Pegula was thwarted by a dominant Sabalenka, who clinched the title with a 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Pegula took to her social media late Monday night to reflect on her incredible campaign, describing the journey as "crazy" and vowing to come back stronger next time.

"Getting to reflect the last few days and just want to say thank you for all the support. What a crazy journey this is and continues to be…trust yourself and the work you do, promise it pays off," Pegula wrote on Instagram.

Former doubles partner Coco Gauff was among the first to respond to her post, offering Pegula her love and words of support.

"Amazing tournament ❤️❤️," Gauff wrote.

Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, had a disappointing early exit this time around, losing in the fourth round to fellow American Emma Navarro.

The 20-year-old rising star Ashlyn Krueger also chimed in, expressing her support and love for Pegula.

"❤️❤️❤️❤️," Krueger wrote.

Jessica Pegula returns to top 3 in women's rankings as Coco Gauff falls out of top 5

Jessica Pegula's impressive run in New York saw her rise three places in the WTA rankings, moving from sixth to her previous career high of No. 3.

With 6,220 points, Pegula sits approximately 2,500 points behind Aryna Sabalenka and nearly 4,500 points from the top spot held by Iga Swiatek. As the top two players have already secured spots for the WTA Finals by virtue of their Grand Slam triumphs and accumulated points, Pegula needs only a few more points to clinch her berth.

In contrast, Gauff slipped three places from third to sixth, effectively swapping positions with Pegula. This was due to her inability to defend her titles in Cincinnati and New York. Still in contention to make it to the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Gauff will need to finish the year on a high.