Current:Home > NewsJessica Pegula comes back in wild three-setter to advance to US Open final -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Jessica Pegula comes back in wild three-setter to advance to US Open final
View
Date:2025-04-13 01:03:17
With a chance at reaching the U.S. Open final seemingly slipping away, Jessica Pegula muttered to herself about how poorly she was playing.
The only good news was that things couldn’t get any worse.
Facing the prospect of a quick and embarrassing defeat in the biggest match of her career, the 30-year-old American found her game just in time and ultimately overwhelmed Karolina Muchova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The win gives Pegula, the No. 6 seed, an opportunity to play for her first Grand Slam title Saturday against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka.
''I came out flat. She made me look like a beginner,'' Pegula said on ESPN. "I was about to burst into tears. She was destroying me and I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs and then I started to play how I wanted to play. It took awhile, but I don't know how I turned that around honestly."
One night after taking down top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals, Pegula looked like a completely different player early on against Muchova. Struggling with her opponent’s backhand slice and net rushing tactics, Pegula lost seven games in a row and was in danger of going down 3-0 in the second set.
MORE:Aryna Sabalenka overpowers Emma Navarro to advance to U.S. Open final again
But after Muchova failed to convert on a second break of serve — missing a fairly routine stretch volley on break point — momentum completely shifted.
''I was thinking, alright that was kind of lucky. You’re still in this. And it comes down to small moments that flip momentum,'' Pegula said.
Not only did Muchova’s level drop, Pegula started to dig in with defense. Then, once she hit her normal rhythm, she started to control points with her clean, flat ball striking and prevent Muchova’s all-court game from imposing itself like it had in the first set.
Once she settled into the match, Pegula was unstoppable and grabbed the lead right away in the third set. Pegula was particularly dominant on return, winning 12 of 15 points in the second set when she got a look at a second serve. She only made a combined 13 unforced errors in the final two sets.
Pegula had never advanced this far at a Grand Slam, losing six times in the quarterfinals over the past four years. After struggling early in 2024, changing coaches and then sitting out the European clay season with a rib injury, this didn't seem a likely year to break through.
But Pegula caught fire when the North American hard court swing began, winning the Canadian Open and getting to the finals in Cincinnati where she lost 6-3, 7-5 to Sabalenka. It’s Pegula's only loss in her last 16 matches.
Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 5-2.
Follow Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken
veryGood! (33833)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- A New Report Is Out on Hurricane Ian’s Destructive Path. The Numbers Are Horrific
- Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James Biggest Sale Is Here: Save 70% and Shop These Finds Under $59
- As Water Levels Drop, the Risk of Arsenic Rises
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- A New Hurricane Season Begins With Forecasts For Less Activity but More Uncertainty
- Jamie Lee Curtis Has the Ultimate Response to Lindsay Lohan Giving Birth to Her First Baby
- RHONY's Bethenny Frankel and Jill Zarin Have Epic Reunion 13 Years After Feud
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- More Than a Decade of Megadrought Brought a Summer of Megafires to Chile
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- America’s Forests Are ‘Present and Vanishing at the Same Time’
- UN Agency Provides Path to 80 Percent Reduction in Plastic Waste. Recycling Alone Won’t Cut It
- The Truth About Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan's Inspiring Love Story
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Gigi Hadid Is the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo After Debuting Massive New Ink
- In Braddock, Imagining Environmental Justice for a ‘Sacrifice Zone’
- Love is Blind's Lauren Speed-Hamilton Reveals If She and Husband Cameron Would Ever Return To TV
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
From the Frontlines of the Climate Movement, A Message of Hope
Climate Change Wiped Out Thousands of the West’s Most Iconic Cactus. Can Planting More Help a Species that Takes a Century to Mature?
Jamie Lee Curtis Has the Ultimate Response to Lindsay Lohan Giving Birth to Her First Baby
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
How Wildfire Smoke from Australia Affected Climate Events Around the World
A Guardian of Federal Lands, Lambasted by Left and Right
Emily Blunt Reveals Cillian Murphy’s Strict Oppenheimer Diet