Home favourite Jessica Pegula made an incredible comeback to secure a thrilling spot in the US Open final against the world number two Aryna Sabalenka.
The American fought back from being a set, break, and breakpoint down to defeat Karolina Muchova 1-6 6-4 6-2, marking her first appearance in a major singles final. She will now compete against Sabalenka, who secured her place in the final for the second consecutive year with a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) win over American Emma Navarro.
Sabalenka becomes the first women’s player since Serena Williams in 2019 to reach consecutive singles finals at Flushing Meadows.
The Belarusian is expected to face a raucous crowd supporting New York-born Pegula on Saturday – a scenario in which she’s already had some experience after playfully reprimanding the crowd for rooting for Navarro.
Having previously joked about buying drinks for the crowd if they cheered for her, Sabalenka playfully quipped: “Margaritas for everyone!”
Before her recent victory, Pegula had lost in all of her previous six major quarter-finals, finally breaking the streak with her win against world number one Iga Swiatek on Thursday and following it up with a hard-fought win over Muchova.
While Poland’s Swiatek is ranked number one globally, many argue that Sabalenka is the best hard-court player globally.
Always known for her powerful play, Sabalenka struggled with her serve for years before seeking help from a biomechanics expert to reduce the number of double faults.
This improvement led to her winning two Australian Open titles, but she has shown mental growth this year and can block out the noise from the crowd and handle errors and momentum shifts better than before.
Reflecting on the match, Sabalenka mentioned that she remembered last year’s final, during which she was visibly affected by the noisy support for Gauff.
Pegula, on the other hand, has steadily climbed the rankings over the past few years, culminating in her long-awaited appearance in a Slam final.