Iga Swiatek Shocked in Quarterfinals as Jessica Pegula Advances to First Grand Slam Semifinal

Iga Swiatek bids farewell to the US Open in the quarterfinals with 40 unforced errors in an hour and a half: the world No. 1 is eliminated by Jessica Pegula with a score of 6-2 6-4. At 30, the American reaches her first Slam semifinal in her career after being stopped six times in the quarterfinals (twice against the Polish player) and will face Czech Karolina Muchova for a spot in the final. On the other side of the draw, Sabalenka-Navarro. Two Americans in the women’s semifinals, and two Americans (Tiafoe and Fritz) in the men’s: a special edition for the home crowd at Flushing Meadows.

For Swiatek, it’s another disappointment after exits in the third round at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, interrupted by her triumph at Roland Garros: since winning the US Open in 2022, she has not reached a semifinal in any Slam other than Paris. During the same timeframe, Sabalenka, now the big favorite in New York, has reached all five semifinals outside of Paris. However, the throne of queen of women’s tennis is currently not at risk.

The fall of the No. 1

Pegula sets a frantic pace at the start, taking advantage of Swiatek’s poor service performance: the Pole serves at 15%, and the American attacks the second serve aggressively. The result? Double break at the start for the 30-year-old from Buffalo in just fifteen minutes. The No. 1 is lost and cannot reverse the momentum. In 37 minutes, it’s 6-2 Pegula, the first set lost in the tournament by Swiatek, who takes a long toilet break.

The serve starts to work again, especially the first serve, but the problems remain: the home favorite gets another break at the start, aided by four consecutive errors from Swiatek’s forehand, although she is reached by a counter-break, the first and only reaction from the 23-year-old from Warsaw. The numbers after a set and a half are unprecedented: 7 winners and 29 unforced errors for the No. 1, who, at the end of a lengthy seventh game, loses serve again. On the third break point opportunity, Pegula pulls ahead and sees the finish line coming after an hour and a half.

Sabalenka jokes with the audience: “I’ll buy you a drink, you cheer for me in the semis”