by No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula upset No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the US Open on Wednesday night, earning the fourth American woman’s spot in the tournament’s semifinals.
With the win, Pegula advances to the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career, where she will face fellow Americans Emma Navarro, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz. She will face unseeded Karolína Muchová on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Navarro, seeded 13th, will face second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the other women’s semifinal. Thursday’s winners advance to Saturday’s championship match.
On the men’s side, Tiafoe and Fritz will meet in the semifinals on Friday, securing the American a spot in the championship round for the first time at a Grand Slam since 2009. No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, will face No. 25 seed Jack Draper in the other men’s semifinal after beating No. 5 seed Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Pegula in control from the start
Pegula took control of the first set in the first game and never let go. She won the first game on Swiatek’s serve, giving the world number one her first service break in 26 games. Swiatek had not been broken since her first-round win over Kamilla Rakhimova.
On Swiatek’s second serve, Pegula did it again. She earned her second break of the first set to take a 3-0 lead. She kept control of her serve and didn’t give up a break to win the set 6-2. The set lasted 36 minutes and Swiatek made 18 unforced errors. After the set was over, Pegula sat on her bench and threw a light punch.
Swiatek retreated to the locker room, where she took a long break between sets. When she returned to the court, she had changed from her colorful outfit to an all-white outfit.
Swiatek was the first to serve in the second set. This time, she held on. But Pegula broke her again on her second serve to take a 2-1 lead. Swiatek responded to level the score at 2-2 before Pegula regained control with a break to take a 4-3 lead. She forced three break points in the game and then received a standing ovation from her fans in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium after forcing Swiatek to hit wide to secure the break.
Swiatek was unable to come back. With the match leading 5-4, Pegula earned her third match point for the biggest win of her career.
“Finally” a semi-finalist
Pegula had previously reached the quarterfinals of seven Grand Slam tournaments without qualifying. She spoke to ESPN about her breakthrough after her victory on Wednesday.
“I had so many tough moments and I kept losing,” Pegula said. “But against great players, against girls who went on and won the tournament. I know everyone asks me about that. But I was like, ‘I don’t know what else to do. I just have to go back and win the match.’”
“Thank God I was able to do it. And finally, finally, I can say that I am a semi-finalist.”
Pegula’s win improves her career record against Swiatek to 6-4 and denies Swiatek a chance at her sixth career Grand Slam title. Swiatek won the 2022 US Open and is a four-time French Open champion. Swiatek entered Wednesday’s match guaranteed to retain her world No. 1 ranking regardless of the outcome.
Pegula won’t have much time to savor the upset. She’s scheduled to face Muchová in the semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. Navarro, seeded 13th, will face Aryna Sabalenka, seeded second, in the other women’s semifinal. Thursday’s winners advance to Saturday’s championship match.
