Sports

Sabalenka Overpowers Pegula Again to Reach US Open Final

By Chris Oddo

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in Thursday's US Open semifinal, marking the third straight year Sabalenka has ended Pegula's run at Flushing Meadows. Sabalenka previously beat the 32-year-old American in the 2024 final and last year's semifinals.

Pegula, who is still searching for her first Grand Slam title, praised her opponent's performance after the match. "I think that's definitely — you can ask her — probably the best match she's played this year," Pegula said. "I mean, I thought her level was insanely high."

The contest remained competitive in its early stages, but Pegula said she had few answers once Sabalenka raised her level of play. "I don't know who pissed her off today," Pegula said. "Hopefully it wasn't me totally, but might have been. I don't know. She played insane. She played a super-high level."

The win extended Sabalenka's remarkable record on hard courts at the majors. She has now compiled a 51-3 mark across the Australian Open and US Open during a stretch of eight consecutive hard-court Grand Slam tournaments, reaching at least the final in each one. She is now one win away from her fifth career Grand Slam title and her first major championship of 2026.

Despite the loss, Pegula expressed satisfaction with her own effort. "Honestly, I don't really know if there was much I could do today," she said. "I don't think she missed a backhand the entire match."

Pegula noted that she felt she competed well, possibly better than in some of their previous matchups, yet it still wasn't enough to overcome Sabalenka's level. "I did my best. I thought I didn't play bad," she said. "But I think that level was probably the highest I've seen from her."