Jessica Pegula has been in and around the Top 5 in the women’s rankings for a number of years. Her overall result gives credence to her position amongst the top elite. On her day, she has the game to trouble just about anybody and has racked up some memorable wins against her biggest rivals and claimed some big titles. But nothing above the WTA 1000 level.
Pegula now has a chance to top her Grand Slam result and make a push for the US Open title, considering her form coming into the last Major of the year compared to those of her biggest rivals. Many of the game’s top names have had difficulty navigating the summer addition to the schedule with the Olympics shifting their focus from the grass of Wimbledon to clay, only to rapidly switch again to hard courts less than two weeks after that.
Pegula has looked sharper compared to her competitors. She landed in North America off the back of her showing at the Paris Olympics in free-flowing form and not only successfully defended the WTA 1000 title she won last year in Canada (the first to win the event in back-to-back years since Martina Hingis in 1997), but also reached the final in Cincinnati.
Jessica Pegula’s Path to the US Open Title
Despite a straight-sets loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the final of Cincinnati, Pegula was nonetheless only the sixth player in the Open Era to reach both the singles final in Canada and Cincinnati in a calendar year after Rosie Casals, Evonne Goolagong, Li Na, Serena Williams, and Simona Halep.
Pegula has continued the blistering form that saw her achieve that milestone in the matches she’s played at the US Open so far. The sixth seed overcame two fellow Americans in Shelby Rogers and Sofia Kenin in straight sets in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively. Her biggest test will arrive yet again in the quarterfinals where she is projected to face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek should all the seeds hold. Pegula is 0-6 in her career in Grand Slam quarterfinal matches–including a heartbreaker last year at Wimbledon where she led the eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova 4-1, with points for 5-1, in the third set. Vondrousova rallied to win the match and capped the campaign with two more wins and the title.
Iga Swiatek looked her devastating best in her second round match against Ena Shibahara, prevailing 6-0 6-1. Pegula knows what it takes to win as an underdog against the World no. 1. Overcoming the mental burden of having never advanced past the quarterfinal stage would be Pegula’s biggest challenge if she is to have the chance to topple the 2022 US Open champion. Swiatek has looked vulnerable of late and understandably so, with titles in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and a third time defending her Roland Garros title in back-to-back years–but there’s been a loll in pace since. Should anyone on her path to the final be able to take advantage of that fact, it would be Jessica Pegula who doubtlessly has been the in-form player since the return to North America.
Beyond the quarterfinals and the World No. 1, Pegula still has to do battle against some of her other formidable opponents whom, should the seeds hold, will not get any easier. Aryna Sabalenka, who beat her in the final at Cincinnati is on the other half of the draw. Coco Gauff and Jasmine Paolini–who has made it to back-to-back Grand Slam finals–also remain in the draw and have all mostly found their footing and are playing well.
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
