Jessica Pegula Delivers Emotional Message to American Crowd After US Open Triumph: “Never Thought I’d Be Good”

Two years in a row for Jessica Pegula! The American fourth seed delivers another brilliant performance against Barbora Krejcikova to book her place in the US Open semifinals. Last year, she reached the final but couldn’t outlast World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. This time, though, she’s coming in with fire and focus. She looks determined to finish the job. What’s fueling her?

On Tuesday, in just 1 hour and 26 minutes, Pegula powered past Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium. After the match, she spoke openly about how it feels. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m just really comfortable,” she said in her post-match interview. “It’s crazy to look now and think that I’m really comfortable coming out here and playing on big courts, big matches, on the best court in the world, with the craziest crowd and against the best players. It’s pretty crazy that it’s something, 10 years ago, I never thought I’d be good at—but I guess I am.”

At 31, she’s rewriting the record books. She has become only the second player in the Open Era to reach her first two Grand Slam semifinals after turning 30. The only other to do it? Flavia Pennetta—who stormed into the 2013 US Open semifinals at age 31, then captured the title in New York two years later. Not bad company to keep, right?

And here’s the twist. Krejcikova had won their last two meetings—at Dubai 2023 and the WTA Finals in Riyadh 2024. But on the Grand Slam stage, Jessica Pegula flips the script every time. She has beaten Krejcikova in both of their Slam battles, including that sharp 7-5, 6-2 win in the 2023 Australian Open fourth round.

And now, she’s done it again to stand tall in another semifinal! Can she go further this time? Stay tuned to our Live Blog for every update!

The clash kicked off with a bang and contrast. Czech’s first service game summed it up. Pegula cracked two forehand winners, the Czech flubbed a smash, and then tossed in a double fault. Break gone. Early advantage, American.

Krejcikova steadied in the fourth game, hanging around. She saved a point to avoid 4-0 and another to dodge 5-1. Her grit paid off as she got back on serve at 4-3. But Pegula shut the door quick. The American held firm, and Krejcikova dipped again. Two games gone. Set gone.

The second set played the same tune. Krejcikova bled errors and double faults, sliding to 4-1 down. A touch of magic came with a chipped drop return that froze Jessica, helping her pull back to 4-3. But again, no momentum.

Pegula locked in and closed it out, and the stats said it all:Krejcikova, 14 winners to 24 errors with seven doubles. Pegula, 17 to 20. Big picture? She’s only lost 23 games all the way to the semis.  And this isn’t the first time she’s hailing the crowd for their energy

Jessica Pegula cheers on Buffalo Bills fans in the crowd

Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium was all about Pegula. She lit up the court against fellow American Ann Li, blasting through in just 54 minutes. A dazzling 6-1, 6-2 win, no sets dropped, and straight into the next round. For last year’s finalist, it’s the bounce back she needed after a tough Wimbledon exit. This time, she looks locked in, all grit, all smiles.

Buffalo pride was front and center too. Asked about football, she didn’t hesitate. “I mean, there are so many Bills fans when I come here. I think it’s so cool that I’ve been able to take football fans and bring them into the tennis world, because in Buffalo there’s not really a lot of tennis, so that’s been really cool,” she said with a grin.

Her family’s story explains it all. Jessica’s father, Terry Pegula, once turned $7,500 and some energy smarts into a fortune. He sold East Resources at the height of the shale boom, then shifted that success into sports. The Buffalo Bills became the Pegulas’ pride after their 2014 purchase, rebuilt into playoff regulars under Josh Allen, now a $6 billion franchise—four times its original price.

“And everyone kind of roots for me, so I feel like I’m basically part of the team and part of Bills Mafia even when I’m out here on the tennis court. And I always feel that—I swear, every city I go to, whether it’s Australia, here, the Middle East, Europe, wherever—I always run into Bills fans. So, it’s really cool. I’m hoping we have a great season, so that’s all I can say,” she added.

Next up, the semis, against either top seed Aryna Sabalenka or No. 60 Marketa Vondrousova. Can she make another final? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!