Mar 26, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) waves to the crowd after her match against Emma Raducanu (GBR)(not pictured) on day nine of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

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Jessica Pegula Takes Hilarious Dig at Rival NFL Team After Making 3rd Miami Open Semi-final

The American beat Emma Raducanu to progress into the Miami Open semis.

Mar 26, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) waves to the crowd after her match against Emma Raducanu (GBR)(not pictured) on day nine of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

Jessica Pegula matched her career-best performance at the Miami Open on Wednesday night, beating Emma Raducanu 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 in the quarterfinals. This is Pegula’s third Miami semifinal in four years – having previously lost to Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek in 2023 and 2022. After her win, she took a cheeky jibe at Miami’s NFL team.

31-year-old Pegula has been in fine form this week, beating the likes of Anna Kalinskaya and Marta Kostyuk before coming up against the Briton. As a consequence of her victory, she is through to her 10th WTA-1000 semifinal – an achievement that has seldom been achieved by Americans in the recent past. Can she keep it going?

Jessica Pegula’s Dig at Miami Dolphins Leaves Crowd Stunned!

Jessica Pegula is the daughter of Terry Pegula – billionaire and owner of NFL franchise Buffalo Bills. The Bills are part of the American Football Conference (AFC) East Division in the league, which also houses the Miami Dolphins. Having a rivalry that dates back to multiple decades ago, the Bills boast a 10-1 record against the Florida-based side in the 2020s!

getting the W is a little extra special here 😎@JPegula | #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/q29MaN05eX
— wta (@WTA) March 27, 2025

In her post-match interview, Pegula may have fired some rib-tickling shots at the home crowd.

“I love playing here, I love playing [at] home,” she excitedly said. “I love getting wins in the Dolphins stadiums, just saying.”

After a not-so-happy reaction from the crowd, the 2024 US Open finalist acknowledged that she always does well in Miami. The last meeting between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins was back in November 2024, with the Pegulas’ setup edging out a 30-27 win over the two-time Super Bowl winners.

Pegula Outlasts Raducanu in Tight Miami Open QF Affair

Despite Emma Raducanu’s resilient effort that saw her grab the second set after a medical timeout, Jessica Pegula managed to see the match through. She saved five out of the six break points that she faced. “I want to make it to that final so bad, and I’ll give it another shot tomorrow night,” she stated while talking about not passing the semifinal barrier.

Meanwhile, Raducanu had to endure the heat and humidity which was draining her energy out. “I just felt really dizzy,” the 2021 US Open champ claimed. “I felt faint. It was very humid out there and we had a long wait, so maybe it was just an accumulation. I don’t know how I kind of regrouped in the second set, but in the third, I definitely struggled a little bit.”

Jessica Pegula now has the challenge of beating in-form Filipino southpaw Alexandra Eala in her semi-final. The 19-year-old has already eliminated Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek so far, which makes this a titanic tussle.

Alexandra Eala

Buffalo Bills

Emma Raducanu

Jessica Pegula

Miami Dolphins

Miami Open

NFL

Terry Pegula

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.