Jessica Pegula beats Emma Navarro to set up Sabalenka semifinal at US Open
Pegula claims a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Navarro in an all-American quarterfinal and will face Sabalenka on Thursday.
Jessica Pegula has booked a third straight US Open face-off with Aryna Sabalenka, grinding out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Emma Navarro to set up a semifinal clash with the two-time defending champion and the world’s top-ranked women’s player.
Third-seeded Pegula needed two hours and 20 minutes to get past Navarro on Tuesday, recovering from an early break in the third set of a tense baseline battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“It was really tough,” Pegula said after a match featuring nine breaks of serve. “It was physical, humid. I wasn’t exactly serving my best, and I was fighting a lot of demons out there today.”
Pegula, who has won two titles this year, is among the trio of players who arrived at Flushing Meadows with a chance to supplant Sabalenka atop the world rankings in New York.