Pegula outlasts Navarro, faces Sabalenka in US Open semis — SkimNews
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- Jessica Pegula (No. 3 seed) came back from a set down to defeat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American US Open quarterfinal on Tuesday night.
- Pegula will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals Thursday, a rematch of the 2024 final (won by Sabalenka) and last year's semifinal (also won by Sabalenka after dropping the first set).
- Pegula and Sabalenka are just the fourth pair of women in the Open era to meet in the semifinals or later in three consecutive US Opens — a rivalry Pegula called 'kind of a hurdle' to get over.
- Pegula trailed 2-1 in the third set after Navarro broke her, then won four straight games to take control of the match.
- Pegula has now won 19 three-set matches this season — the most on the women's tour — and also rallied from a set down against Leylah Fernandez in the third round.
- At 32, Pegula is the oldest woman in the Open era to reach multiple major semifinals in a single year for the first time in her career, having also made the Australian Open semis in January.
Why it matters: Pegula's semifinal extends a third consecutive US Open meeting with Sabalenka, who has beaten her both prior times including the 2024 final. At 32, she is now the oldest woman in the Open era to reach multiple major semifinals in a single year — yet she must clear the same rival who has ended her US Open run twice running.
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