Jessica Pegula is heading to Tokyo, Japan later this month to compete for gold at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Pegula, daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, was named to the United States' Olympic tennis team on Thursday, making her a first-time Olympian.
The 27-year-old is currently ranked the 26th women's tennis player in the world, according to the Women's Tennis Association. Pegula was ranked the 22nd women's player at the Wimbledon tournament in London, England, but she was knocked out of the tournament on Wednesday by unranked Liudmila Samsonova from Russia.
The Tokyo Olympics officially get underway on Friday, July 23, with tennis competition getting started on Saturday, July 24. Pegula will compete in the women's singles competition, while also being paired with Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the doubles draw.
Also joining the U.S. Olympic tennis team on the women's side includes 15th-ranked player Jennifer Brady, 23rd-ranked player Coco Gauff, 29th-ranked player Alison Riske and Nicole Melichar.
Pegula has already had quite the 2021 season, starting with the Australian Open in Melbourne, where she reached the quarterfinal round. Despite losing to Brady in three sets back in February, the event marked the highest finish at a tennis major of her career.
At the French Open last month in Paris, Pegula advanced as far as the third round, where she was knocked out of the tournament by fellow American, Sofia Kenin.
Kenin is the top-ranked American women's tennis player in the world at No. 6, while Serena Williams is right behind her as the eighth-ranked women's player. Both players elected to opt out of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The women's tennis competition of the Olympics will conclude on Saturday, July 31 with the gold medal match taking place following the bronze medal match at Centre Court of Ariake Tennis Park.