HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Recent Olympian and current world No. 25 ranked women's professional tennis player Jessica Pegula will be the featured instructor at the Houghton College Tennis Clinic on September 13.
 
Registration is now open for the event, which is targeted to fourth graders through seniors. It will run from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Houghton's outdoor courts and the six courts in the Kerr-Pegula Field House.
 
The format will include instructional sessions led by Pegula, Houghton tennis coach Zach Shilvock and current Houghton players, followed by a presentation, advice and Q&A with Pegula. The day will conclude with an exhibition match between Pegula and Shilvock and an opportunity for some clinic participants to hit against the Olympian.
 
Pegula is a rising name in women's professional tennis. The 27-year-old Buffalo native hit a career-high ranking of No. 25 in the world this year. 
 
Highlights of her 2021 season include advancing to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the third round of the French Open. She opened the season with a win over then No. 2 Naomi Osaka in May and had the honor of representing the United States in singles and doubles at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games.
 
Pegula is the reigning champion of the Citi Open in Washington, DC, where she captured the 2019 tournament title. In 2020, she scored an upset win over former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki at the ASB Classic in New Zealand and finished as the runner up in the tournament.
 
While Pegula currently lives and trains in Florida, her ties to Western New York remain strong. She also has a natural skincare products line that she started called Ready 24. Her mother, Kim, is a graduate of Houghton College.
 
More details are available at the event's registration website.