WHAT HAPPENED: Taking care of business. World No. 4 and 2024 US Open finalist Jessica Pegula avoided any potential drama and eased past Sunday’s eight-match-point-saving star Barbora Krejcikova, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the semifinals in Flushing Meadows for the second straight year.
This duel felt like a true toss-up on paper. Krejcikova had claimed two of their three matches, but the American won their lone Grand Slam meeting—a straight-sets victory in the Round of 16 at the 2023 Australian Open. And while the Czech player dismissed Pegula in their most recent battle at the WTA Finals, the world No. 4 withdrew from the event with a knee injury shortly after their round-robin encounter. The biggest question mark was perhaps how the two-time Grand Slam champion was feeling. Would Krejcikova’s heroics against Taylor Townsend in the Round of 16 propel her to compete like she was playing with house money? Or would she be feeling the effects of a long, emotional three-setter?
From the outset, the answer didn’t seem to matter. Instead, Pegula was in control and in full flight—and in a rush. Playing with pace and shape and dragging her opponent to the corners, the Buffalo, N.Y., native showed exactly why she’s made eight Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances in just the last four years. Through the first three games, she claimed 12 of the first 15 points—including all four on Krejcikova’s serve. Coming out flat, Krejcikova just couldn’t get anything going, even whiffing an overhead after she accidentally stared directly into the sun. Five games into the match, she hit 12 forced errors and one forehand winner.
Of course, all tennis players playing out of this world fall back to earth eventually. (Okay, maybe not Jannik Sinner.) In the seventh game, Pegula couldn’t find a first serve and hit three unforced errors to lose the lead. It was only a blip; Krejcikova couldn’t hold in the next game, and the world No. 4 capably served it out to cap off an excellent 40 minutes of play.
The question no doubt on spectators’ minds as the pair began Set 2: Would the can’t-miss-on-match-point Krejcikova show up and sink her teeth into the battle?
In the early stages, no. Pegula broke in the first game, then broke again at 3-1. Still, much as she did in her match against Townsend on Sunday, the Czech player began to display glimpses of the groundstrokes and variety that won her both the French Open and Wimbledon—even hitting a return drop shot winner off her opponent’s serve. Off the success of some well-struck deep returns, she broke back once to mitigate the deficit. But it was too little, too late. Pegula held strong, then broke again to reach her second straight US Open semifinal.
“I think I’ve been playing some really good tennis,” Pegula said on-court after the bout. “I’ve just been playing very solid, I’ve been having very good, quick starts, so I really wanted to do that today, especially against someone like her who’s very dangerous. And even at the end there it got really tight. She hit a couple really good returns when I was serving up 4-1 and then we all saw what she did against Taylor, so yeah, I was happy that we’re done [with the match].”
WHAT IT MEANS: Pegula could next face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka—in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final—or unseeded Marketa Vondrousova. The American possesses just two wins in nine encounters over practice partner Sabalenka. She is knotted at 1-1 with Vondrousova, capturing their most recent meeting in three sets at the 2025 French Open.
Whoever it is, Pegula said she will be ready. She’s feeling good on these Flushing Meadows courts.
“I feel like I’m just really comfortable,” she said. “It’s crazy to look now and think that I’m really comfortable coming out here, playing big matches on the best court in the world and with the craziest crowd against the best players. It’s pretty crazy…it’s something 10 years ago I never, never thought I’d be good at this, but I guess I am.”
MATCH POINT: Strong off the return: Pegula won 69% of returns off the second serve in this match. And there were a lot of second serves to be hit. Krejcikova served at just 42% throughout the contest.
