The most expensive Grand Slam match? Fun fact behind Pegula vs Navarro at the US Open

What happens when two daughters of American billionaires meet in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam?

Apparently, you’re getting what the internet has called “the richest match in tennis history,” at least if you look at the family fortunes behind these two players.

A LinkedIn post by entrepreneur and IIM alumnus Ujwal Sutaria highlighted the remarkable numbers after Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro squared off in the quarterfinals of the US Open. Pegula’s father, Terry Pegula, is worth an estimated $11.8 billion, while Navarro’s father, Ben Navarro, is worth around $3.2 billion. Combined, this puts the family fortune behind both players at roughly $15 billion.

Of course, “richest match in tennis history” is not an official record. It’s a fun way to look at a pretty extraordinary coincidence. And the numbers are even more compelling when you consider that Pegula and Navarro weren’t just two wealthy families represented at Arthur Ashe Stadium, they were two top tennis players fighting to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam.

Pegula, world No. 3, and Navarro, No. 27, had met four times before their US Open meeting. Pegula won all four. Their fifth meeting was also their first at a Grand Slam and Pegula once again prevailed as he recovered from a set down to beat Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

The result sent Pegula to the semi-finals of the US Open for the third year in a row.

For Pegula (32), another deep run in New York was further proof of the consistency that has made her one of the leading players on the WTA Tour. She reached the US Open final in 2024 and has repeatedly found herself in the latter stages of major tournaments, although a Grand Slam title still eludes her.

She would fail again.

Pegula lost to Aryna Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 in Thursday’s semifinal, ending another impressive run without the major trophy she was chasing. Sabalenková advanced to the final, Pegula’s wait for her first Grand Slam title continued.

Meanwhile, Navarro has already seen the sharp end of the US Open. The 25-year-old reached the semi-finals in 2024 and returned to the quarterfinals this yearunderscoring her ability to compete with the biggest names in the women’s game. She also climbed as high as 8th in the world.

Family ties make the story even more unusual.

BILLIONAIRE FATHERS

Terry Pegula built his fortune in oil and gas before becoming a major figure in American sports as owner of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. Ben Navarro built his fortune through businesses including Credit One Bank and Sherman Financial Group before turning increasingly to tennis. His group Beemok Sports owns the Cincinnati Open and he also owns the Credit One Charleston Open.

In Navara’s case, her father is himself a major figure in the tennis world.

But none of that helped at the beginning of the match.

Pegula still had to recover from the suspension. Navarro still had to fight for every match. And when Pegula reached the semi-finals, she had to face Sabalenko before her final run ended for good.

$15 billion is a remarkable headline. But once the first ball was hit, the luck of the players mattered considerably less than the numbers on the scoreboard.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

11 Sep 2026 13:30 IST