All Eyes on American Pegula after Breakout Year 

Jessica Pegula of the US celebrates victory against Italy's Martina Trevisan during their women's singles match in the final of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on January 8, 2023. (AFP)
Jessica Pegula of the US celebrates victory against Italy's Martina Trevisan during their women's singles match in the final of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on January 8, 2023. (AFP)
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All Eyes on American Pegula after Breakout Year 

Jessica Pegula of the US celebrates victory against Italy's Martina Trevisan during their women's singles match in the final of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on January 8, 2023. (AFP)
Jessica Pegula of the US celebrates victory against Italy's Martina Trevisan during their women's singles match in the final of the United Cup tennis tournament in Sydney on January 8, 2023. (AFP)

A career breakthrough year has all eyes on American Jessica Pegula, who could shake Polish world number one Iga Swiatek's stranglehold on the women's field when the Australian Open main draw begins next week.  

The 28-year-old marched up the rankings in 2022 when she reached the quarter-finals at three majors and toppled four Grand Slam winners en route to picking up her first WTA 1000 title in October at Guadalajara. 

Now number three in the world, Pegula said she's taking this season one step at a time. 

"I don't think I really am putting pressure on myself to duplicate that year because I think it was very special and something that probably won't be duplicated," Pegula told reporters on Sunday. 

"I feel like I have different goals this year. I feel like I kind of am resetting the year... It is a new year and you never know what's going to happen and you never know how you're going to feel."  

While she may not be trying to duplicate her extraordinary 2022 it certainly looked like she could last week, when she cracked the code on Swiatek, steamrolling the thrice major winner 6-2 6-2 at the United Cup semi-final.  

Pegula raced to a stunning 5-0 lead in the first set and kept the momentum up with a series of brilliant returns in the second, leaving the usually poised Swiatek without any answers.  

"I loved the way she stepped up, beating the No. 1 player," said Patrick McEnroe, the brother of John McEnroe and a former doubles Grand Slam winner who is an analyst for ESPN.  

He told reporters that he believes Pegula could possibly even win in Melbourne - if Australia's iconic blue hard courts are playing to her favor.  

"The quickness of the court that she played Iga Swiatek on was a big factor," said McEnroe.  

"Australian Open will be pretty quick, but it's usually not that quick... If the court is a little bit slower, that makes it a little bit harder for her to play that type of penetrating game that she can play so well."  

While she ended 2022 on a rough note as she lost all three of her matches in a demoralizing WTA Finals debut, Pegula's record since Flushing Meadows stands at 10-5, a consistency that twice Grand Slam doubles champion Mary Joe Fernandez praised.  

"I'm really impressed with her improvement, her determination," said Fernandez, who will serve as an ESPN analyst at the major. "She's definitely one to look out for." 



Salah Questions UEFA's 'Farewell' to Former Palestine Soccer Player Suleiman Obeid

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Liverpool at American Express Stadium in Brighton, England, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/lan Walton, File)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Liverpool at American Express Stadium in Brighton, England, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/lan Walton, File)
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Salah Questions UEFA's 'Farewell' to Former Palestine Soccer Player Suleiman Obeid

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Liverpool at American Express Stadium in Brighton, England, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/lan Walton, File)
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton and Liverpool at American Express Stadium in Brighton, England, Monday, May 19, 2025. (AP Photo/lan Walton, File)

Mohamed Salah is questioning UEFA’s “farewell” to former Palestinian soccer player Suleiman Obeid who was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces while awaiting aid in Gaza.

“Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” Salah asked on the social network X in response to a post from UEFA saying, “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele.’ A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”

Obeid, 41, was fatally shot by Israeli forces on Wednesday while he was waiting among crowds for aid near a distribution site in southern Gaza, the Palestine Football Association said. He leaves behind a wife and five children. The Associated Press could not independently verify the account.

Obeid played 24 games for Palestine, scoring two goals, while he scored more than 100 over his career with local clubs, said the PFA, which described him as “one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football.”

The PFA published a letter attributed to Aleksander Čeferin in which the UEFA president said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic death” of Obeid, who was “more than just a footballer. He was proof that joy, skill, and pride can flourish despite suffering. His talent and dedication to the game gave the children of Gaza and beyond reason to believe in a brighter tomorrow. His passing is a great loss to the world of football and to everyone who understands the power of sport to inspire.”

The PFA said Obeid’s death brings to 662 the number of Palestinian athletes and sporting officials killed since the 22-month war started.

The UN human rights office said last month that some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid in Gaza since May, nearly all by Israeli fire.

Israel’s air and ground campaign has killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine.