“Not Much I Could Have Done” – Pegula Praises Ruthless Sabalenka After US Open Loss

Pegula loses to Sabalenka

Jessica Pegula said there was little she could do to beat Aryna Sabalenka after the world No.1's dominant 7-5, 6-2 win sent her to a fourth straight US Open final.

Sabalenka fires 29 winners to reach US Open final despite losing No.1 spot...

Jessica Pegula was left asking if her win over Aryna Sabalenka in Berlin earlier this year had set the world No.1 off, after Sabalenka delivered a ruthless 7-5, 6-2 victory over the American in the US Open semi-finals on Thursday.

Pegula matched Sabalenka early at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but once the Belarusian found her rhythm there was little the American could do to stop her momentum.

“She played ‌insane. She played a super-high level,” said Pegula, who beat Sabalenka 6-0 in the third set on grass in Berlin in June.  

“Maybe that's ‌why she was so pissed off at me,” she said with a ‌smile.

The win put Sabalenka into a fourth straight US Open final and an eighth consecutive hard-court Grand Slam final an Open Era record dating back to the 2023 Australian Open.

Sabalenka overpowers Pegula to make US Open final

For Pegula, the loss means the wait for a first major title goes on. She remains the only one of the four semi-finalists who has ⁠not yet won a Grand Slam.

Pegula has now lost to Sabalenka at the US Open three years in a row. She joked that she and her team had even asked Sabalenka’s camp to take it a little easier on them.

With Sabalenka playing such dominant tennis, Pegula said there wasn’t much she could have done differently to change the outcome.

“I'm honestly not that upset, to be honest, because I don't really ‌think there was much I could have done today,” the 32-year-old said. “I did my best. I thought I didn't ‌play bad.”

“We're, like, ‌do you like us? Like, we're good people. We're pretty nice to you guys. Do you think that maybe, like, one day she could be maybe off a little bit, so I could just, like, get a chance?” she said.

Full Sabalenka vs Pegula stats from the US Open semi-final

Sabalenka, who will give up the world No.1 ranking to Elena Rybakina on Monday, fired 29 winners and seven aces. She repeatedly painted the lines whenever Pegula threatened to take control of a rally.

“I honestly don't know if she missed ⁠a backhand the entire match,” ⁠said Pegula. “I really want ‌to check.”