NEW YORK — In January, while Aryna Sabalenka secured her second consecutive Australian Open title, Jessica Pegula suffered a second-round exit against an opponent ranked 51st. This was just one of many challenges Pegula has faced, including injuries and tough defeats. Fast forward to Saturday, and the No. 6 seed Pegula is set to compete against No. 2 Sabalenka for the title at the U.S. Open.
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I’d be in the finals of the U.S. Open, I would have laughed, because I just wasn’t thinking that way,” Pegula remarked Thursday night after her dramatic semifinal comeback against Karolina Muchova, winning 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. “Overcoming those challenges and getting a chance at the title on Saturday — that’s what we play for. Being able to do it in my home country at my home Slam is just perfect.”
At 30, Pegula makes history as the oldest American woman to reach her first Grand Slam singles final in the Open era, which began in 1968. Her journey has not been easy, including knee surgery in 2013, a hip operation in 2017 that dropped her ranking outside the top 850, and a rib injury this season that kept her out of the French Open. In addition, she faced a seven-match Grand Slam losing streak before breaking through in New York in 2020, and she previously held an 0-6 record in major quarterfinals until defeating No. 1 Iga Swiatek last week.
Despite facing low moments and doubts about her future in the sport, Pegula remained optimistic. “I always felt like: ‘You know what? You’ll figure it out eventually,’” she stated. Her confidence comes from her ability to bounce back from adversity, a skill she credits to her upbringing in New York, where her parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.
Since the Paris Olympics, Pegula has excelled on hard courts, amassing a 15-1 record, including a title in Toronto and a runner-up position in Cincinnati. The only loss during this impressive stretch was to Sabalenka, who has dominated the hard-court scene in recent years. Sabalenka will be playing in her fourth consecutive final at a hard-court major, looking to reclaim the title after losing to Coco Gauff at last year’s U.S. Open.
Despite setbacks, Sabalenka remains motivated. “Tough losses don’t make me feel depressed; they motivate me to come back harder and work on what didn’t work in the past,” she said after her semifinal victory over Emma Navarro. “I’m still hoping to hold that beautiful trophy.”