Jessica Pegula rallied from a set down to beat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American women’s quarterfinal Tuesday night at the US Open, advancing to face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals Thursday in a rematch that will be their third consecutive US Open meeting at the semis stage or later.
The No. 3 seed said she views the rivalry as fun to look at but acknowledged that getting past her opponent at this tournament is a hurdle she still needs to clear. The top seed beat her in the 2024 final and again last year in the semifinals after dropping the first set.
The two are now the fourth pair of women in the Open era to meet in the semifinals or later at three consecutive US Opens.
How Pegula won
The night session started nearly 90 minutes later than usual because the day session ran long, and Navarro played better once it finally began. She broke her serve twice in the opening set. She struggled to find her game early.
She found it late. After Navarro broke for a 2-1 lead in the third set, she won four consecutive games to close out the match.
It was the second time she came back from a set down in this tournament, having also rallied against Leylah Fernandez in the third round. She leads the women’s tour with 19 three-set wins this season.
What Pegula is doing at 32
At 32, she is the oldest woman in the Open era to reach multiple major semifinals in a single year for the first time in her career. She also made the semifinal stage at the Australian Open in January.
That milestone is a function of consistency and a late-career peak rather than longevity alone. She has been in the world’s top 10 for several years and has been building the kind of deep major run that has eluded her through multiple earlier tournament cycles.
The Sabalenka rematch
The Thursday semifinal against Sabalenka will be the most direct challenge Pegula faces in this draw. Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion at this tournament and is trying to become the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open titles. She has beaten her opponent in their two most significant meetings at this tournament.
She has beaten Sabalenka in smaller tournaments, which is the basis for her competitive optimism heading into the rematch. Whether that experience translates to a major semifinal, where the champion has been dominant, is the central question.
The winner of the Pegula-Sabalenka match will face whoever emerges from the other semifinal to play in Sunday’s final.
