NEW YORK — The questions wouldn’t stop for Jessica Pegula: Why was she 0-6 in Grand Slam singles quarterfinals heading into her U.S. Open matchup against No. 1 Iga Swiatek? And what could Pegula do to change that?
They came up during her on-court interview after winning in the previous round. And at the news conference that followed. And again during a brief TV interview right before striding onto the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night.
If that all weighed on Pegula, the 30-year-old American hid it well, pulling off a big upset by easily beating Swiatek 6-2, 6-4 at Flushing Meadows and earning a debut trip to the semifinals at a major.
“There have been so many freaking times, and I just kept losing,” said Pegula, who has won 14 of her past 15 matches, all on hard courts. “I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I was like, ‘I don’t know what else to do. I just need to get there again and, like, win the match.’ So thank God I was able to do it. And finally — finally! — I can say ‘semifinalist.'”
She will face unseeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in Thursday night’s second semifinal for a berth in Saturday’s championship match.