The race to be considered the top American women’s tennis player has seen a lot of movement lately, but right now Jessica Pegula may have edged ahead.
Alongside Pegula, Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova have also been part of that conversation. Each of them is currently preparing for Wimbledon, which gets underway later this month.
Even though rankings aren’t the only measure of quality, Pegula is currently the highest-ranked American woman on tour, and it’s hard to argue against her having earned that spot.
At 32, she’s playing some of her best tennis and has already picked up two WTA titles this year.
Why Jessica Pegula stands out among American WTA players
That tally puts her level with Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina, and Marta Kostyuk, while Mirra Andreeva and Aryna Sabalenka lead the pack with three each.
Pegula now has a chance to match that total after reaching the final of the Berlin Open. Even though she had an early exit at Roland-Garros, she’s responded well in her first grass event of the season.
The world number four has beaten Aryna Sabalenka and Katerina Siniakova, plus Madison Keys to continue a strong record against fellow Americans.
She’s now 7-0 against compatriots in 2026, which further underlines her case as America’s top player right now. She also holds a 5-3 head-to-head edge over Gauff and is unbeaten in five meetings against Anisimova.
10 Best American women in the current WTA rankings
Pegula, Anisimova, and Gauff are the only American players in the WTA top 10, but a few others aren’t far behind inside the top 30.
Top of that group is 18-year-old Iva Jovic, who’s currently ranked 17th in the world. She has been one of the standout players on the WTA Tour in 2026 and is definitely one to keep an eye on at Wimbledon.
Elsewhere, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys, Ann Li, and Hailey Baptiste have all shown enough promise recently to earn their places inside the top 30.
Anisimova will get plenty of attention again this year after her breakout run last year, when she reached the final before losing to Iga Swiatek.
It was an impressive season for Americans overall. She made another major final at home in New York while Madison Keys took home the Australian Open title and Coco Gauff won Roland Garros.
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