Pegula Fights Through Demons to Set Up Sabalenka Rematch

Jessica Pegula dug deep, fought her own nerves, and punched through to another US Open semi-final on Tuesday. The American third seed turned a shaky opener into a 3-6 6-4 6-3 victory over compatriot Emma Navarro — and now gets another shot at Aryna Sabalenka.

Slow Start, Stronger Finish

Pegula dropped two of her first three service games and looked disjointed early on. Navarro, the 26th seed, played tight and pressured her throughout, generating a staggering 24 break points over the course of the match.

But Pegula steadied. She took the second set 6-4, then grinded through a tense decider. After breaking back to level at 2-2, she escaped two more break-point threats before landing the decisive blow in the sixth game. She closed it out in two hours and 21 minutes, roaring with relief the moment the last ball landed.

"I was fighting a lot of demons out there today," Pegula told the crowd — and anyone who watched could see exactly what she meant.

The Numbers Don't Lie

For all the struggle, context matters here. According to BBC Sport, no WTA player has recorded more comeback wins (48) or three-set victories (90) than Pegula since the start of 2020. That's not luck — that's a trait baked into her game.

This is her third straight US Open semi-final appearance. She reached the final here two years ago, losing to Sabalenka. Last year, Sabalenka knocked her out at the same semi-final stage. Now they'll do it again in 2025.

It's worth remembering that Alexandra Eala had already handed Pegula a stunning loss earlier this season, so this deep run at Flushing Meadows is a statement of resilience from the 32-year-old.

World Number One Still in Play

The stakes go beyond a Grand Slam title. Pegula can climb to world number one — but only if she wins the US Open and Elena Rybakina fails to reach the semi-finals. It's a narrow path, but it's open.

She also reached the Australian Open final in January, meaning she's been consistently deep in majors all year. The ranking reward, however, keeps slipping just out of reach.

What Sabalenka Brings to This Rematch

Sabalenka made it through her own quarter-final war on the same day, outlasting sixth seed Linda Noskova 7-6 3-6 7-6 in a match that nearly went sideways. The Belarusian trailed 4-2 in the third and fell behind 2-0 in the deciding tie-break before closing it out.

She's now won 19 straight matches at Flushing Meadows and is chasing a third consecutive US Open title — a "three-peat," as she called it. She also became the first woman to reach six straight US Open semis since Serena Williams managed the feat in 2016.

The Collision Course

Pegula versus Sabalenka, again. Same tournament, same stage, same stakes — or even higher this time given the ranking implications.

Pegula has the resilience numbers and the home crowd. Sabalenka has the history and the momentum of 19 wins without a loss at this event. One of them is going to have to blink.

For Pegula, just getting here wasn't easy. Winning it would mean everything.

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