Jessica Pegula Steps Up After Coco Gauff Exit as She Matches Serena Williams With Bold US Open Feat

With Coco Gauff out in Round 4, all eyes turned to the remaining American women. Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula had the weight of expectation on their shoulders. First up was Pegula, and boy, did she deliver! In just 1 hour and 26 minutes, the No. 4 seed beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3, punching her ticket to the US Open semifinals for the second year in a row. In the process, she matched a feat last achieved by one of the GOATS, Serena Williams.

Jessica Pegula came out firing, racing to a 3-0 lead in the first set and putting Krejcikova on the back foot. The former French Open and Wimbledon champion managed to narrow the gap to 4-3, but Pegula pulled away to take the final two games. She never let the momentum slip. Her control in the set set the tone for what was to come. In the second set, Krejcikova’s struggles on serve continued, and Pegula capitalized without mercy. The American’s consistency and sharp shot-making made the difference.

Up to the quarterfinals, the 31-year-old had dropped just 17 games. Now, having played the quarters, that total has only risen to 23 on her path to the semifinals. Remarkably, she has yet to drop a set in the tournament. This puts her in elite company. She is the first woman to reach back-to-back US Open semifinals without losing a set since Serena Williams from 2011 to 2014. While Serena was runner-up in 2011, she claimed the title consecutively in the next three years.

That’s not all. Jessica Pegula, 31, also joins a rare club. She is just the second player from the Open Era to reach her first two Grand Slam semifinals after turning 30. The only other? Flavia Pennetta, who made the 2013 US Open semifinals at 31 and went on to win the title in New York two years later.

The big question now: can Pegula go all the way? She has matched Serena’s early-round dominance, but the semifinals are a different test. Last year, Pegula made it all the way to the final but came up short against Aryna Sabalenka in two tight sets. This time, she could face Sabalenka again in the semifinals if the top seed defeats Marketa Vondrousova in their match on Tuesday night. Sabalenka, like Pegula, has yet to drop a set. The semifinals will be a tough bout, but Pegula is ready, especially with the home advantage on her side.

Jessica Pegula reveals “crazy” truth about playing at the US Open

Jessica Pegula’s journey to success at the US Open has been anything but instant. She failed to reach the semifinals in her first 23 main draw appearances at a major before breaking through at last year’s US Open final. Since then, she has had mixed results, going out in the third round at the Australian Open, the fourth round at the French Open, and the first round at Wimbledon.

Being back on hard courts seems to suit her perfectly. The No. 4 seed has found a rhythm here that has been harder to come by elsewhere on the tour. “I think I’ve been playing some really good tennis,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “I’ve just been playing very solid. I’ve been having very good quick starts, so I really wanted to do that today, especially against someone like (Krejcikova) who’s very dangerous.”

“It’s crazy to look now and think that I’m really comfortable coming out here playing on big courts in big matches on the best court in the world with the craziest crowd against the best players,” she said. “It’s pretty crazy, and it’s something 10 years ago I never thought I’d be good at this, but I guess I am.”

With the home crowd behind her and the hard courts under her feet, Jessica Pegula is making the tournament her own and showing why this is where she shines brightest. Follow the Championships in real-time with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog updates.