Sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula defeated top-seeded Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the US Open on Wednesday night, giving an American fourth place in the semifinals of the tournament.
With the victory, Pegula reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. There she joins her compatriots Emma Navarro, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz. She will face unseeded KarolÃna Muchová on Thursday at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Navarro — seeded 13th — will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the other women’s semifinal. Thursday’s winners will advance to Saturday’s championship match.
In the men’s semifinal, Tiafoe and Fritz will face each other on Friday, securing an American spot in the championship round. It’s the first Grand Slam match since 2009. Top-seeded Jannik Sinner will face 25th-seeded Jack Draper in the other men’s semifinal, after he defeated fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Pegula has been in control from the start
Pegula took control of the first set in the opening game and never let go. She won the first game on Swiatek’s serve, giving the world No. 1 her first broken serve in 26 games. Swiatek had not been broken since her opening-round victory over Kamilla Rakhimova.
On Swiatek’s second serve, Pegula did it again. She secured her second break of the opening set and took a 3-0 lead. She maintained control of her own serve and did not allow a break en route to a 6-2 victory. The set lasted 36 minutes and Swiatek made 18 unforced errors. When it was over, Pegula took a seat on her bench and gave a subtle fist pump.
Swiatek retreated to the locker room, where she took a long break between sets. When she returned to the court, she had changed out of her colorful uniform for an all-white outfit.
Swiatek was again the first to serve in the second set. This time, she held. But Pegula broke her again on her second serve to take a 2-1 lead. Swiatek returned the break to tie the set at 2-2 before Pegula took control again with a break to take a 4-3 lead. She forced three break points in the match and then received a standing ovation from her fans in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium after forcing Swiatek to hit wide to secure the break.
Swiatek didn’t break back. With the match on her racquet and a 5-4 lead, Pegula delivered her third match point for the biggest win of her career.
‘Finally’ a semi-finalist
Pegula had previously reached the quarterfinals of seven Grand Slam tournaments without advancing, and spoke about her breakthrough to ESPN after Wednesday’s victory.
“I’ve been there so many times, and I just kept losing,” Pegula said. “But against great players — against girls who went on and won the tournament. I know everyone keeps asking me about it. But I thought, ‘I don’t know what else to do. I’ve just got to go back there and win the match.’
“Luckily I was able to do it. And finally, finally I can say that I am a semi-finalist.”
Pegula’s win improved her career record against Swiatek to 6-4 and denied Swiatek a shot at her sixth career Grand Slam championship. Swiatek won the 2022 US Open and is a four-time French Open winner. Swiatek went into Wednesday’s match with a guarantee that she would retain her No. 1 ranking regardless of the outcome.
Pegula won’t have much time to enjoy the surprise. She’s scheduled to face Muchová in Thursday’s semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Navarro — seeded 13th — will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the other women’s semifinal. Thursday’s winners will advance to Saturday’s championship match.
