Final against Pegula

Sabalenka is in the final: “Now you cheer, …”

Aryna Sabalenka

(Bild: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Luke Hales)

American Jessica Pegula put up a great fight to reach the final of the US Open for the first time, challenging top favorite Aryna Sabalenka. After a disastrous start, Pegula prevailed 1:6, 6:4, 6:2 against the Czech Karolina Muchova and will play the most important match of her career on Saturday. The world number two Sabalenka from Belarus defeated Emma Navarro 6:3,7:6(7:2) in 90 minutes. Afterwards she joked with the crowd.

The 30-year-old Pegula was already 1:6,0:2 and 30:40 down on her own serve. However, the sixth-ranked player in the world fought back brilliantly in what was now a high-class match, turned the game around and celebrated her victory after 2:12 hours. "I wanted to burst into tears. It was so embarrassing because she destroyed me," she said about the start of the match. "I don't know how I managed to turn that game around."

Her siblings and father Terrence were in the stands cheering her on. The 73-year-old made his billion-dollar fortune in oil and gas, is one of the 400 richest people in the world according to Forbes magazine and owns a sports empire with the NFL team Buffalo Bills and the NHL team Buffalo Sabres. "I am so happy that I can share this moment with them," said Jessica Pegula, addressing her family.

Sabalenka jokes with the audience
Sabalenka will face an American in the final, as she did in 2023. Back then, she lost to crowd favorite Coco Gauff in three sets. This will be the Belarusian's fourth appearance in the final of a Grand Slam tournament; she has previously won the Australian Open twice.

In contrast to her defeat in the final a year ago, Sabalenka was unimpressed by the crowd in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was mainly cheering on the American outsider Navarro, until shortly before the end of her match. At 5:4 in the second set, she served to win the match, but still started to tremble. In the tie-break, however, Sabalenka showed her extra class and nerves of steel and clinched victory with a cracking overhead smash.

"Now you're cheering for me, that's a bit late," she said jokingly to the cheering fans after the win. "Even though you were cheering her on, I had goosebumps, it was an incredible atmosphere. She played great and I'm really happy to have made it through this difficult semi-final." Navarro had made it into the top four at a Grand Slam for the first time and also defeated defending champion Gauff in New York.