Top seed Aryna Sabalenka is set to face Jessica Pegula in the U.S. Open semifinals, with Sabalenka seeking to become the first player in 12 years to achieve a three-peat at the tournament. Sabalenka acknowledged Pegula's recent improvement, noting that two of their last three encounters have gone to Pegula.
"Jessica is a really challenging player to play against," Sabalenka stated. "I can say that she really improved a lot in the last couple of years, improved her game, really putting me under so much pressure. But I’m loving playing against her, because it’s a battle, because it’s a fight, and I love being under pressure and going through tough challenges. So playing against her, it’s going to be a really high-intensity level of tennis."
Pegula has been adding variety to her game, enhancing her serve, and improving her physical conditioning in recent years. However, she has yet to defeat Sabalenka on a Grand Slam stage. Sabalenka holds a 3-0 record against Pegula in major tournaments, including a 7-5, 7-5 victory in the 2024 U.S. Open final.
"She’s gotten me here the last couple of years," Pegula commented, referencing her previous U.S. Open semifinal loss to Sabalenka. "I have been able to beat her a few times, maybe on a smaller stage, so I think that’s going to be kind of a hurdle for me to get over. But at the same time, I think it’s fun."
Pegula is experiencing one of her most successful Grand Slam seasons, reaching at least the quarterfinals in three of the four majors this year, with her only early exit being at Roland Garros. She will appear in multiple Grand Slam semifinals in a single calendar year for the first time, having also reached that stage at the Australian Open in January.
Sabalenka, who held the world No. 1 ranking for 99 consecutive weeks before Elena Rybakina recently took the top spot, expressed her willingness to trade her No. 1 ranking for another U.S. Open title. She is on a quest to emulate Serena Williams's achievement of winning three consecutive U.S. Open titles, a feat not accomplished by any player since Williams in 2014.
"I think it’s fun to look at it like a rivalry," Pegula said. "I think that’s what kind of motivates me. Honestly, I feel like that’s what’s going to motivate her probably that I beat her the last couple of times. I’m sure she’s going to look at those couple of matches and what she needs to do different. I think for me, I’m going to try to pull what I did well from those few matches, but then also be aware that she’s a top, No. 1, top player, she’s No. 1 in the world."
Sabalenka and her team are known for their strategic approach to improvement and adapting to opponents, a quality that has contributed to her sustained success. Pegula acknowledged this, stating, "Her and her team I feel like do a really great job of looking at what they need to improve, what other players are doing against her, and I think that’s the reason she is No. 1, because they’ve done such a great job at that. So at the same time, I’m going to have to be very aware of maybe something different that they’re going to have to or want to do going into this match. But I mean, of course, it’s a new match."