Jessica Pegula walked away from her quarter-final win in New York not with a sigh of relief but with a determined grin.
With an emphatic 6-3, 6-3 victory over Barbora Krejcikova, her fourth straight match at this US Open without dropping a set, the 31-year-old American has rediscovered her stride on the biggest stage.
Her performance serves as a powerful counterpoint to a summer that could otherwise be described as chilly: disappointments in Montreal, Cincinnati, and Wimbledon left critics questioning her form.
Pegula left all doubts behind this week, crediting a mental reset and a simplification of her approach for the turnaround.
“Nothing fancy,” she might say, yet the results speak with flair.
But the mood isn’t just celebratory. Ahead lies a rematch packed with subtext: world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka advances via walkover after Markéta Vondrouová, battling a knee injury suffered during warm-up, withdrew from their quarter-final.
That means Sabalenka versus Pegula, a replay of last year’s final that Sabalenka won, is on the cards once more.
Revisiting last year’s heartbreak and a chance to rewrite it
Their rivalry is no ordinary pairing. Sabalenka and Pegula‘s rivalry has been a defining feature of recent hard-court tennis. They’ve met in three of the last five hard-court finals, including the 2024 US Open and Cincinnati, both won by Sabalenka in straight sets.
Pegula now stands at the semis again, determined not just to compete, but to conquer.
This matchup is more than just another semifinal; it’s a chance for Pegula to rewrite the narrative of their previous encounters.
And she is not short of motivation. As the runner-up in her first Grand Slam final in 2024, she has spent the year refining her game and mindset.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka has remained in elite form: she is the defending champion, world No. 1, and coming off a third-round victory over Leylah Fernandez, a match she described as proof of how much she has grown as a player.
With that backdrop, this anticipated clash isn’t just a match, it’s high-stakes theatre. Fans of both players know that every serve, every point is infused with narrative.
Despite Pegula‘s reputation for clean rhythm and composure, she’ll need to counter Sabalenka‘s signature aggression and depth from the baseline.
Sabalenka‘s path here has included a dramatic tiebreak battle and moments of sheer power, while Pegula’s consistency and tactical clarity look sharper than ever.
Whatever happens next, this is more than just another semifinal. For Pegula, it’s a test of grit and a shot at rewriting a past defeat in the limelight of Flushing Meadows.
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