Jessica Pegula’s Victory over Karolina Muchova to Secure US Open 2024 Final Clash with Sabalenka

In the US Open final, the 30-year-old New Yorker Pegula, ranked No. 6, will take against Aryna Sabalenka, ranked No. 2, after winning 15 of her last 16 matches.

Sabalenka, who finished second to Coco Gauff at Flushing Meadows the previous year, made a triumphant return to the championship match after fending off a late surge from U.S. No. 13 Emma Navarro, 6-3, 7-6 (2).

Early on, Pegula’s situation did not appear promising: Muchova, the runner-up in the 2023 French Open but an unseeded player after missing over ten months due to wrist surgery, used every bit of her agility and inventiveness—the qualities that make her so difficult to handle on any surface.

The cut portions. The contact at the internet. the volleying and serving. Her racket produced ten of the first twelve winners of the match. Muchova won thirty of the forty-four points in the first set, which lasted 28 minutes.

Eight of the first nine games were won by Muchova, who came within one point of taking a 3-0 lead in the second set. However, she failed to convert a break opportunity there, misfiring on a forehand volley, and the game was over.

The 52nd-ranked Muchova moved from being unbeatable at missing shots to being unbeatable at making them very quickly. And Pegula brought it on, showcasing the self-assured style of play that helped her defeat five-time major champion and current No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets on Wednesday. Before the breakthrough, Pegula had a record of 0–6 in major quarterfinals.

It took Pegula some time to play that brilliantly on Thursday, but wow, did she ever once she got going. She won nine of the eleven games she played, which helped her not only win the second set but also storm to a 3-0 lead in the third.