By David Ramirez
05 Sep 2024, 23:36 PM EDT
QUEENS, NY- Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka will contest the US Open women’s final on Saturday.
The American, world No. 6, in an extraordinary display of resilience, managed to overcome a first set in which everything she did went wrong.
In the end the duel was decided 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in favor of the native of Buffalo, New York.
The match seemed like it would be easy for Karolina Puchova, who at the beginning of the second set seemed to be heading for a comfortable victory, but Pegula’s conviction, based on the fact that hope is the last thing to be lost, suddenly began to resurface, adding points with poise and supported by the roar of the public, she managed to tie the match to force a third set and thus give shine to a historic semi-final.
Pegula has been one of the elite players in women’s tennis in recent years, finishing as high as No. 3 in 2022 and No. 5 in 2023, but she had struggled late in major tournaments and was consistently held back in the quarterfinals of majors. On Wednesday night, she dramatically changed that narrative, snapping an 0-for-6 streak in the round of 16 of majors by defeating world No. 1 and 2022 US Open champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
That performance followed a breakout summer for Pegula, 30. She came into the U.S. Open on the back of titles in Berlin and Toronto and a runner-up finish in Cincinnati, and has cruised through the tournament without further setbacks.
For the second consecutive year, the US Open will feature an American in the final. The 2023 edition crowned Coco Gauff as champion, who defeated Aryna Sabalenka.
Now the Belarusian will have her sights set on lifting the title, but first she will have to beat Pegula, the local player who has shown that she not only has the maturity but also the physical and mental strength to make history.
In the first semi-final, Belarusian Arysa Sabalenka eliminated New Yorker Emma Navarro 6-3, 6(7)-6(2).