NEW YORK — In January, Aryna Sabalenka captured her second consecutive Australian Open title, while Jessica Pegula faced an early exit in the second round by losing in straight sets to a player ranked 51st. This setback was just one of many for Pegula throughout her career, which has included injuries and tough losses. However, the current No. 6 seed will now challenge No. 2 Sabalenka for the U.S. Open championship on Saturday.
Reflecting on her journey, Pegula, a 30-year-old American, expressed disbelief at reaching the finals. “If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I’d be in the finals of the U.S. Open, I would have laughed so hard, because that just was where my head was — not thinking that I would be here,” she stated after a comeback victory over Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.
Pegula is the oldest U.S. woman to reach a major singles final since the Open era began in 1968. Her path has not been entirely smooth, having overcome multiple challenges, including a knee surgery in 2013 and a hip operation that kept her away from the sport for much of 2017, dropping her ranking outside the top 850. This year, a rib injury also caused her to miss the French Open.
On the tennis court, Pegula endured a seven-match Grand Slam losing streak that ended in New York in 2020, and she previously held an unfortunate 0-6 record in major quarterfinals. This week, however, she triumphed over world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Throughout her journey, Pegula maintained hope of someday achieving her childhood dream of winning a Grand Slam. She acknowledged moments of doubt but emphasized her resilience. “I always felt like: ‘You know what? You’ll figure it out eventually,’” she said.
Recently, Pegula’s performance has been impressive, with only one loss in her last 16 matches, which came against none other than Sabalenka, who has dominated hard courts over the past two seasons. Saturday’s final will mark Sabalenka’s fourth consecutive appearance in a hard-court major final, having won titles at the last two Australian Opens and having lost to Coco Gauff at Flushing Meadows last year.
Sabalenka, who defeated Emma Navarro in the semifinals, expressed her motivation to continue striving for success, stating, “Tough losses never make me feel depressed… It only motivates me to come back and try harder.” She remains determined to hold the championship trophy.