'I like to dance in the pressure storm,' Jannik Sinner says ... and he did just that in his Australian Open triumph

By Steve Tignor Jan 28, 2024

Australian Open

First of many? Jannik Sinner's five-set comeback sinks Daniil Medvedev in Australian Open final

By Associated Press Jan 28, 2024

Australian Open

Soccer-mad Italy is now obsessed with tennis player Jannik Sinner after his Australian Open title

By Associated Press Jan 28, 2024

Australian Open

Jessica Pegula, whose family owns Buffalo Bills, honors Damar Hamlin in Australia

The American is wearing a white screen-printed patch with Hamlin's uniform number on her black skirt while she competes at the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

ByAssociated Press

Published Jan 18, 2023

Advertising

WATCH: Jessica Pegula defeats Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the 2023 Australian Open second round.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Pro tennis player Jessica Pegula has Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on her mind—and his No. 3 jersey number on her outfit—at the Australian Open.

Pegula, whose parents own the NFL’s Bills and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres, is wearing a white screen-printed patch with Hamlin's uniform number on her black skirt while she competes at the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field when he collapsed after making a tackle during a game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2. He spent more than a week in the hospital, part of that time in critical condition, before being able to go home.

"I definitely wanted to do something," Pegula said Wednesday after reaching the third round at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

"We were kind of figuring out what the Bills and the Sabres were doing, just as far as what was the message. I knew they would probably do something and what message were they trying to send. It ended up being kind of the ‘3' was the symbol," said Pegula, a 28-year-old who was born in New York and now is based in Florida.

Advertising

Pegula is wearing a white screen-printed patch with Hamlin's uniform number on her black skirt while she competes at the year's first Grand Slam tournament.

"I just thought it would be cool to put on my outfit here. I thought it would be a fun way to kind of connect with the team and then also just show my support," she said. "I felt like it was such a global event."

Pegula reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open each of the past two years, equaling her best result at any Grand Slam tournament.

She is currently a career-best No. 3 in the rankings—a coincidence that drew some reactions Pegula found amusing.

"I saw someone tweet that: ‘Why would you put your ranking on your skirt?' I'm, like, ‘No, that's not why,'" Pegula said with a laugh.

She said she watched the Bills' win over the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round on TV before playing her first match in Melbourne. Buffalo's next playoff game is Sunday against the visiting Bengals.

Advertising

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Advertising