Glory has come hugging Jessica Pegula before she has lifted her maiden US Open crown! The cost? Well, plainly put, the American star had to smear past her countrywoman. Ahead of clashing with Aryna Sabalenka in the summit clash of the Flushing Meadows Slam on Sunday, September 8, the 30-year-old has been furnished with an exciting update.

According to the latest revelation, the ‘Billionaire’ superstar has moved up the rankings. Notably, Pegula will assume the World No. 3 spot starting Monday, snatching the position formerly held by compatriot Coco Gauff. While the feat will certainly elate the reigning Canadian Open champion, her former doubles partner won’t be very pleased.

Having switched rankings, Gauff will now be seated at the No. 6 spot. This update comes owing to the young talent’s disappointing fourth-round exit from the New York event, concluding her quest for a successful title defense.

While dropping in rankings and performance has seemingly become Gauff’s agenda, Pegula isn’t looking to take her foot off the gas just yet. The American star is poised to lift the elusive trophy and bring glory to her late-blooming career. With her entry into her career’s first final, she looks to create a similar career path as Stanislas Wawrinka, who won his first slam when he was 29.

Although Pegula has attained her career-high ranking once again, she will not be able to move higher even if she wins against Sabalenka. Pegula currently amasses 6220 points, while Sabalenka has 8016 points. A win in the final will award the American 700 more points, which will give her an even more solid lead against Elena Rybakina, who is at number 4. The same goes for Sabalenka, who will not attain rank 1 should she win the final, as Iga Swiatek has 10885 points on her side. The upcoming match will be a great sight for fans as both come back from a major slump.

Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka come into the US Open final after a troublesome period

Aryna Sabalenka, who began the year by winning the Australian Open, found herself confronted with a major mental challenge. Late Konstantin Koltsov passed away in March. Followed by his demise, Sabalenka’s form took a dip. Early exits awaited her for weeks, until the Madrid and Italian Open, as she ran to the final of both tournaments. 

The challenge was not over for the Belarusian beauty as she would encounter injuries following the French Open, which forced her to withdraw from the Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics. She returned in the American hard court swing and won the Cincinnati Masters against Pegula, who will be looking for revenge. 

Jessica Pegula found it difficult to attain more than 3 victories in a tournament from the start of the season until the Miami Open. She also found 3 victories in the Charleston Open, which was followed by an injury that forced her out of the rest of the clay swing. However, her return was fantastic, as she won the Grass Court Championships in Berlin and then reached 3 back-to-back finals in the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and the US Open.

The US Open final is the ultimate final as well since we have the winner of the Canadian Open facing the winner of the Cincinnati Masters. Both have what it takes to win a final, but there can only be one victor. Who will it be?