Jessica Pegula is preparing for the Mutua Madrid Open while her Buffalo Sabres are venturing into uncharted territory the city has not seen from its NHL team in over a decade.Pegula’s father and family own the Buffalo Sabres, and the team has struggled mightily in recent years, but her support and fandom never waivered.Now Pegula is playing a WTA 1000 tennis tournament, watching from afar, and reacting to a come-from-behind effort mounted in the final five minutes of the game that lifted the Sabres to a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins to take a 1-0 lead in the NHL playoff series.MORE: Arthur Fils is a legitimate French Open contenderWhat Pegula saidPegula posted a video of the fans celebrating in the streets after the home game win. April snow was falling on the jubilant scene, but no one seemed to care.

The atmosphere was electric. She wrote: “I can’t believe I’m in Europe when this happened…the fomo is real. There is nothing better than playoff hockey.

Let’s go @BuffaloSabres“The Sabres host Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 PM EDT. That means Pegula will likely be sleeping during the next game as Madrid is six hours ahead.MORE: Is there a WTA one slam champion cursePegula’s Madrid Open drawPegula is in Coco Gauff‘s quarter of the draw setting up a potential Round of 16 match against her former doubles partner. With a first round bye, she could face an American opponent much earlier.

Pegula will play the winner of the Katie Boulter vs. Hailey Baptiste first round match.Mar 12, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Jessica Pegula (USA) hits a shot in her quarterfinal against Elena Rybakina (KAZ) during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesThe Charleston Open champion is already in clay court form, but adjusting to the conditions on the European red clay will be vital.

The Mutua Madrid Open doubles draw is not out so we do not yet know if Pegula plans to play doubles. She reached the Round of 16 in Charleston with Asia Muhammad before losing to her Player’s Box podcast cohort Jennifer Brady and Erin Routliffe.