Jessica Pegula staged an astonishing recovery from a set and a break down to defeat Czechia’s Karolina Muchova and reach her first grand slam final at the US Open.
The sixth-ranked American came through 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 and will take on world number two and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s championship match.
“I thought I was lucky to still be in it,” admitted Pegula after her opponent missed an easy chance to go 3-0 up with a double break in the second set.
“She made me look like a beginner, she was destroying me and I was about to burst into tears but it all came down to small moments.
“I don’t know how I turned that around.”
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Pegula has now won 15 of 16 matches on the US summer hard court swing which saw a title in Toronto and defeat in the Cincinnati final to Sabalenka.
“It’s a chance for revenge, but she’ll be tough to beat,” said Pegula.
Earlier, this week, Pegula toppled world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets to win her first grand slam quarterfinal.
Pegula’s father Terry is a billionaire businessman who made his money in the fracking business before selling the bulk of his oil and gas company East Resources for more than AU$5 billion.
In 2014, Terry outbid rival suitors Donald Trump and Bon Jovi to purchase NFL franchise the Buffalo Bills for $1.4 billion USD — three years after he secured the Buffalo Sabres for $189 million USD.
Earlier, world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka reached a second consecutive US Open final after defeating American 13th-seed Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to move one win away from her third grand slam title.
Navarro, playing in her first semi-final at the majors, clawed her way back from 3-5 down in the second set to take her chances in a tiebreak.
“Guys, now you’re cheering for me. Wow. It’s a bit too late,” Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
“I don’t really care who I face in the final because tonight I heard the crowd cheer for my opponent.”
The Florida-based Belarusian, runner-up to Coco Gauff in New York last year, called on her raw power to secure the first set, nullifying Navarro’s smart use of the angles.
Although an early break was cancelled out by the American, the 26-year-old edged ahead again in the sixth game before securing the opener on the back of 16 winners, twice as many as Navarro.
Sabalenka stretched to a 3-2 lead with a break in the second set with Navarro having to fend off more break points to avoid slipping to a 2-5 deficit.
That breathed new life into her challenge and she broke Sabalenka when her rival served for the match, pulling level for 5-5.
She even enjoyed a mini-break in the tiebreak before Sabalenka stormed back for victory.
Source Agencies
