Jessica Pegula enjoys 2023 US Open Media Day with Ace, K9s for Warriors service dog

WATCH: Pegula scored a statement win over Iga Swiatek before dismantling Liudmila Samsonova to win her second WTA 1000 title in Montréal.

NEW YORK—Without ever having to hit a serve, Jessica Pegula enjoyed an Ace at her 2023 US Open Media Day press conference.

The No. 3-seeded American was joined by a K9s For Warriors service dog that she first met earlier in the week during Stars of the Open, an exhibition match to benefit Ukraine relief through GlobalGiving.

“Ace can answer the questions," joked Pegula as she took her seat.

Pegula, who bid farewell to her own dog Dexter at the end of July, is sponsoring Ace’s training so that he may one day work with “veterans suffering from PTSD, traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma.”

“It's been super busy,” Pegula said of her week leading up to the final major tournament of 2023. “I've done a lot. I played the exhibition Wednesday night. That was really fun. Got to walk out with Ace. Got to raise money for Elina [Svitolina]'s foundation as well. That's always fun to be a part of. A lot of fans show up, you get to feel the atmosphere before the tournament really starts.”

The 29-year-old also lent a hand to WTA Charities for a Come Play event in Harlem, doing her best to give back in the midst of what has been another milestone season for the American.

Playing at her home Slam, Pegula carries plenty of momentum after winning her second WTA 1000 title at the Omnium Banque Nationale, but is trying not to get ahead of herself before her campaign begins against dangerous floater Camila Giorgi.

“I don't feel like any more confident than other times, to be honest,” she said on Friday. “Again, tennis is so week to week. I won Montréal, then I got bageled and lost in Cincinnati. You're kind of like back to square one, here we go again, what did I do wrong, what do I need to fix, what do I need to work on.

“I don't necessarily feel the most confident. Not least confident, but I just feel kind of typical, like I usually do. I go into it looking at it as a new week, new challenges, new things to try to improve on, new ways to try to problem solve.”

Her biggest problem, at least on paper, may be her 0-6 record in Grand Slam quarterfinals, but even without assistance from Ace, this is one for which Pegula has an easy fix.

“I just need to win a quarterfinal,” she said with a wry smile. “That would help me get past the quarterfinal stage, to a semifinal. I got pretty close at Wimbledon. I don't know what else to say. I'm always going to try to win every single match, no matter what round it is.”