No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula pulled off a wild comeback win in the US Open quarterfinals Tuesday, somehow digging deep to defeat No. 26 Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 after an absolutely brutal start. Her reward for that rollercoaster? A Thursday semifinal showdown with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the very player who has ended her last two US Open runs. Talk about high stakes.
Pegula’s Serve Was a Total Mess, Then She Found a Way
Pegula did *not* play like the world No. 3 early on. She was inexplicably tight in the first set against her countrywoman Navarro, dropping it 3-6. Her serve was particularly rough, barely getting her first serve in just 11 of 28 attempts in her first three service games. That second serve was even worse, winning only 6 of 17 points on it and committing five double faults in those same three games. It was a mess. Even her usually rock-solid baseline game felt off, with balls sailing into the net from a noticeably low ball-striking angle. You could see the frustration building; at one point, she bounced her racket and ESPN cameras even caught her telling her coaches she’d “never double-faulted so many times” in her life. Her own coach, Mark Knowles, admitted she was playing too passively between sets. Navarro, who previously held an 0-4 record against Pegula, wasn’t even at her best, but she didn’t need to be to take that first set.
The Fightback Was Real, But the Grand Slam Dream Lingers
Luckily, Pegula found some answers. She got moderately better in the second set, grabbing a late break to steal it and stay alive. Her main adjustment? Ramping down the serve velocity and trusting that baseline game. It worked, even when Navarro broke her again in the third set, putting Pegula down 2-1. But Pegula responded like a true competitor, winning the next four games and cruising to clinch the match. It took a surprising amount of fortitude. This has been a career season for Pegula, who leads the WTA with 50 wins this year, but what she *really* wants is that Grand Slam title. Every other player in the top six has one of those coveted trophies, and Pegula’s biggest success is on hard court with friendly crowds at Flushing Meadows. This has to feel like her best shot.
Now It’s Sabalenka Again, With No. 1 on the Line
So now, it’s a rematch with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal, who also took a huge step forward with an intense three-set win over No. 6 Linda Noskova. Sabalenka has been Pegula’s US Open nemesis, ending her 2024 final run in straight sets and last year’s semifinal in a three-set thriller. Can Pegula finally get over that hurdle? Both Pegula and Sabalenka are still in contention for the WTA’s No. 1 ranking coming out of this tournament. The plot thickens even more because if No. 2 Elena Rybakina wins her quarterfinal match on Wednesday, she becomes No. 1 unless Pegula, Sabalenka, or Coco Gauff win the whole damn thing. Pegula is just two matches away from that Grand Slam dream and potentially the No. 1 ranking, but the degree of difficulty just cranked all the way up. Get ready for Thursday, Seattle, this one’s going to be a battle.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply