Jessica Pegula rallies to reach first major final and face Aryna Sabalenka at US Open | US Open Tennis 2024

Just 40 minutes into the first match of their highly anticipated Grand Slam semi-final, Jessica Pegula was on the brink of a crushing defeat. At the other end of the net, Karolina Muchova was playing flawlessly crafted tennis all over the court, with insane winners flying off her racket from all corners of the court, but Pegula just couldn't find her range. She soon found herself trailing 1-6, 0-2, facing yet another break point and her hopes of victory dwindling by the minute.

But in recent years, as Pegula has established herself at the top of the WTA Tour, her success has become a reflection of her strength. Pegula may not be the flashiest or most naturally gifted player, but she will make it very difficult for any opponent to play against. The American put that tenacity on full display in the biggest match of her career so far, coming from behind to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Muchova to get back in contention and reach her first Grand Slam final.

“It's amazing. It's a childhood dream. It's something you wanted as a kid. It's been a lot of hard work, a lot of hard work. You can't imagine how much work goes into it,” Pegula said. “Obviously it would mean the world to me. I'm happy just to be in the final, but of course I came here hoping to win the title.”

In the final, sixth-seeded Pegula will face the dominant second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who kept her cool despite a late crisis to beat 13th-seeded Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2) to reach her second consecutive U.S. Open final. Sabalenka has reached the final of the last four Grand Slam tournaments played on hard courts and has won the Australian Open twice, losing to Coco Gauff in last year's final in New York.

For Pegula, who had suffered a number of tough quarterfinal defeats prior to her breakthrough this week, her first semifinal appearance was a near complete failure. Muchova played well in the first set, displaying a wealth of shot tools along with a string of fine volleys and delicate touch, as well as excellent serve and shot-making off the forehand wing. But once Pegula found her footing in the match, Muchova's fine shots were quickly negated by a series of nervous unforced errors.

While the highlight reel belongs to Muchova, Pegula saved the match with one particularly spectacular shot. Down a break point at 0-2 in the second set, she let Muchova drag her outside the tramline with a crosscourt forehand approach shot, but she smashed it off her racquet with a flick of the wrist and a defensive forehand, a shot seen more often on a squash court. Pegula's final passing shot was too quick for Muchova, who sent the ensuing volley long. After recovering to hold serve, Pegula began a long recovery. “I thought, 'OK, that was kind of lucky. I'm still going,'” Pegula said.

Pegula returned to the match and was as solid as ever, getting the ball early and fast while maintaining perfect depth on both groundstrokes, pressuring Muchova's second serves and serving well herself. Pegula's movement was also improving, and she continually forced Muchova into mistakes with her defense and agility. When the American got momentum, she didn't let it go.

“It's really the little moments that turn the tide,” Pegula said. “I was playing mediocre, and she was playing incredible. She made me look like a beginner. I was so embarrassed, I was crying. She was beating me down. I just had to bear with the moment.” [0-2] “In the match, I was able to find my way, find my adrenaline, find my feet. At the end of the second set and into the third set, I started to play the way I wanted to. It took a while, but honestly, I don't know how I turned it around.”

Navarro performed brilliantly in her first Grand Slam semifinal on Thursday night, but Sabalenka completely dominated her for much of the match, especially in the deciding moments. But when Navarro tried to serve, Sabalenka hesitated.

Leading 5-3 to 5-6, Sabalenka served to keep the set. As she fought to close out the second set, with the crowd erupting with every point she lost, Sabalenka was reminded of last year's U.S. Open final, where she was leading Gauff in a set before collapsing in spectacular fashion. This time, she'd learned her lesson.

“Last year was a very tough experience, a tough lesson,” Sabalenka said. “Today in the match I was like, 'No, no, Alina, this is never going to happen again. I have to control my emotions and focus on myself.'”

“I had people cheering for me. I was trying to focus on them. I was thinking, 'Come on, there's a lot of people cheering for you. You've got your team in the box. You've got your family. Just focus on yourself and fight for it.'”