No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula reached her first ever major Grand Slam after a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Karolina Muchova on Thursday evening. The entire fight at Arthur Ashe Stadium lasted over two hours.
“It comes down to really small moments that turn the momentum around,” Pegula said. “I came out flat but she played unbelievably. She made me look like a beginner, I was about to burst into tears because it was embarrassing. She destroyed me.”
Pegula will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in what will be a rematch of the Cincinnati Open title fight in August.
Muchova appeared to be in control in the first set, which lasted just 28 minutes. The Czech star made just seven unforced errors and scored two break points against Pegula to secure the win. However, her game wasn't as clean as she committed 19 unforced errors in the second round.
At this point Pegula got going and ensured a very competitive second set that lasted almost an hour. Muchova made many forehand errors and Pegula made a comeback from 0-2, 30-40 down to break Muchova twice and win the set 6-4.
“I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs,” Pegula said. “At the end of the second and third sets I started playing the way I wanted to play. It took a while, but I honestly don’t know how I turned it around.”
Muchova left the field about six minutes before the decider, but Pegula didn't shake it and the game remained competitive.
Pegula had never made it to a major semi-final before and this season was a difficult one due to injuries. However, she has definitely proven to be a tough opponent. To get to this semi-final, Pegula had to get past world number 1 Iga Swiatek.
Sabalenka won the last meeting between the two in Cincinnati 6:3, 7:5. She leads her all-time series at 5-2, but one of Pegula's wins came at the WTA Finals last year when she won 6-4, 6-3.
Pegula has won 15 of her last 16 games, with her only loss coming against Sabalenka in Cincinnati.
“Playing Aryna is going to be really hard,” Pegula said. “She showed how tough she is and why she is probably the favorite to win this tournament. It’s going to be a rematch against Cincinnati, so hopefully I can get some revenge here.”
