Even Jessica Pegula was blown away by Aryna Sabalenka’s flawless US Open semifinal performance
Aryna Sabalenka has now beaten Jessica Pegula in three straight finals or semifinals at the WTA Tour majors.
Aryna Sabalenka moved one win away from a historic third straight US Open title on Thursday night, defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in a semifinal that left even the loser in disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Speaking to reporters afterward, Pegula did not hold back on just how untouchable the top seed looked at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I thought her level was insanely high,” Pegula told reporters after the game. “I don’t know who pissed her off today. Hopefully it wasn’t me, totally, it might’ve been. I don’t know, she played insane.”
Jessica Pegula in press after losing to Aryna Sabalenka at the U.S. Open
“I thought her level was insanely high. I don’t know who pissed her off today. Hopefully it wasn’t me, totally, it might’ve been. I don’t know she played insane.”
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 11, 2026
The numbers backed up Pegula’s assessment.
Sabalenka relentlessly attacked the American’s second serve all night, holding her to just a 24% win rate on those points while winning 76% of her own. She converted three of eight break point chances and yielded only a single break point the entire match, which she promptly saved.
Pegula managed to hang tough through the first 11 games, trading holds with the top seed, before finally cracking in the 12th game of the first set. Frustration boiled over in the second set when Pegula, down 4-1, dropped another game and threw her racket to the ground in disgust.
The win extended the Belarusian’s dominance in this rivalry, improving her head-to-head record against Pegula and stretching her US Open winning streak to 19 consecutive matches. It also completed a trilogy of sorts between the two, with Sabalenka having already beaten Pegula in the 2024 US Open final and at last year’s Cincinnati Open.
With former first lady Michelle Obama watching from the stands, Sabalenka sealed the win on a forehand winner that Pegula could not track down.
Sabalenka will now face Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final after the No. 2 seed rallied past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the other semifinal, leaving Sabalenka one win away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to capture three straight US Open titles. For Pegula, the loss marks her second straight defeat in a US Open semifinal or final at the hands of Sabalenka, continuing a pattern that has proven nearly impossible for her to break through.
Regardless of the final’s outcome, Sabalenka’s performance against Pegula served as another reminder of just how dominant she has become at Flushing Meadows, a stretch that has left rivals and opponents alike searching for answers.
Aryna Sabalenka moved one win away from a historic third straight US Open title on Thursday night, defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in a semifinal that left even the loser in disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Speaking to reporters afterward, Pegula did not hold back on just how untouchable the top seed looked at Arthur Ashe Stadium.