Janice R. Andrews
In an exciting quarterfinal match at the 2024 US Open, No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula beat No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek to make it to her first Grand Slam semifinal. Pegula’s win is a big deal for the competition because it makes her the fourth American to make it to the quarterfinals this year, after Emma Navarro, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz.
Pegula will play Karolína Muchová, who is not ranked, in the semifinals on Thursday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Navarro will play Aryna Sabalenka, who is ranked second. The winners of these games will go to the final game on Saturday. Tiafoe and Fritz will play each other in the men’s semifinals, which means that an American will be in the men’s final. This will be the first time since 2009 that an American man has been in a Grand Slam final.
Pegula is in charge from the start
Pegula quickly beat Iga Swiatek, who was ranked number one in the world. In the first game, she broke Swiatek’s serve, which had not been done in any of Swiatek’s 26 previous service games in this event. This made Pegula feel ready to give a strong and confident performance.
The American kept going strong by breaking Swiatek again in her second service game. She quickly took a 3-0 lead and was in charge. Pegula won the first set 6-2 by keeping her serve the whole time. With 18 unforced mistakes, Swiatek had a hard time finding her flow. The Polish star took a long break in the changing room after the first set to try to get back on track.
Swiatek Has Trouble Figuring Out Her Shape
Swiatek came back for the second set in a new outfit and with a stronger focus. She did hold serve in the first game, but she couldn’t keep up her pace. Pegula beat Swiatek again to go ahead 2-1 in the second set. Swiatek briefly tied the game at 2-2 by returning a break, but Pegula quickly took back the lead by getting another break to make it 4-3.
At a crucial point, Pegula forced three break points, which made the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheer loudly. She took a clear lead by taking advantage of Swiatek’s mistakes, such as a wide shot. When Pegula had her third match point and the score was 5-4, she took it and won the match, which was the biggest win of her career.
Pegula Celebrates Long-Awaited Spot in the Semifinals
After her win, Pegula talked about how relieved and happy she was to have finally made it to the semifinals after making it to the quarterfinals in seven previous Grand Slam events.
According to Pegula, he had been here many times but always lost. “But the great players won in the end.” I was sure I had to win the match and get back there. Thank God I did it. Finally, I can say “semifinalist.”
Swiatek now has a 6-4 record against Pegula after her win. The World No. 1 will not be able to defend her sixth Grand Slam title. Even though she lost, Swiatek will still be ranked number one because of how well she played earlier in the event.
On Thursday, Pegula will continue her trip when she plays Karolína Muchová in what should be another exciting match. Aryna Sabalenka will play Emma Navarro for the other spot in Saturday’s final match. With strong play in both the men’s and women’s groups, the 2024 US Open looks like it will be a great event for American tennis.
