Jessica Pegula seemed unable to catch a break at the onset of her first Grand Slam semifinal at the U.S. Open on Thursday night. Her opponent, Karolina Muchova, appeared flawless.
“I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula confessed. “I was about to burst into tears, because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me.”
Pegula, however, found a way to shake off her sluggish start and rallied from a set and a break down to defeat Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, securing her place in the final at Flushing Meadows. The No. 6-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old from New York, has emerged victorious in 15 of her past 16 matches and will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday.
Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up to Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open, returned to the championship match by overcoming No. 13 Emma Navarro of the United States 6-3, 7-6 (2).
This final sets the stage for a rematch of their clash last month at the hard-court Cincinnati Open, which Sabalenka won — the only blemish on Pegula’s post-Olympics record.
“Hopefully,” Pegula said, “I can get some revenge out here.”
Pegula’s parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres; her father was present in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands Thursday, accompanied by her sister, brother, and husband.
The evening began unfavorably for Pegula. Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up but unseeded after missing nearly ten months due to wrist surgery, showcased her versatility and creativity to dominate the early proceedings. The slices, the finesse at the net, and the serve-and-volley tactics were all in full display. Muchova’s racket accounted for ten of the match’s first twelve winners. The first set lasted a mere 28 minutes, with Muchova securing 30 of its 44 points.
After winning eight of the initial nine games, Muchova was perilously close to leading 3-0 in the second set. Yet, a missed break chance, courtesy of a bungled forehand volley off Pegula’s slice, proved pivotal.
In a swift turnaround, the 52nd-ranked Muchova transitioned from being nearly flawless to struggling to hit her marks, while Pegula began to heed her coaches’ advice to diversify her serves and spins and target Muchova’s backhand.
“She was everywhere,” Muchova admitted. “She started to play way better.”
Pegula showcased the tenacity that helped her dispatch No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets on Wednesday. Pegula had been 0-6 in major quarterfinals before that significant victory.
It took Pegula some time to reach that level of play on Thursday, but once she did, she dominated. Ultimately, she won nine of the last eleven games, allowing her to not only claim the second set but race to a 3-0 lead in the third.
“I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs. And then at the end of the second set, into the third set, I started to play like how I wanted to play. It took a while,” Pegula said. “I don’t know how I turned that around.”
Muchova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament until her showdown with Pegula. However, her form waned. After a flawless net performance in the first set, she faltered, winning only 15 of 29 points at the net in the remaining sets and committing 33 unforced errors across the second and third sets.
Meanwhile, the initially subdued crowd began roaring in support of Pegula.
In the earlier semifinal, spectators became noticeably louder while backing Navarro as the second set tightened, reminiscent of last year’s match where the crowd favored Gauff over Sabalenka.
“Last year, it was a very tough experience. Very tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna. It’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,’” said Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who triumphed at the last two Australian Opens.
Employing her high-risk, high-reward style, Sabalenka tallied 34 winners and 34 unforced errors, complementing her aggressive play with vocal outbursts after each stroke. Navarro mirrored this with 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.
Navarro didn’t falter in the second set despite trailing for much of it, breaking Sabalenka’s serve as she attempted to seal the victory at 5-4.
“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro explained.
However, in the subsequent tiebreaker, Sabalenka dominated after Navarro’s initial 2-0 lead, claiming every remaining point.
“I kind of got my teeth into it there at the end of the second set,” Navarro said, “and I felt I could definitely push it to a third. Wasn’t able to do so.”
When the match concluded, the crowd acknowledged Sabalenka’s command on the hard court; she now advances to her fourth straight final on this surface.
“Well, guys, now you are cheering for me,” Sabalenka quipped with a laugh. “Well, it’s a bit too late.”
