Jessica Pegula was knocked out of the Australian Open on Thursday after suffering a defeat to Elena Rybakina in the semifinals.
Pegula lost to Rybakina in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6, with the Kazakh star setting up a clash with world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Melbourne Park.
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The American star put together an impressive run at the first major of the year, having earned victories over last year’s champion Madison Keys and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova.
In her match with Rybakina, Pegula had the chance to force a decider when she went within a point of winning the second-set tiebreak, but the 31-year-old failed to get over the line.
Hours after her defeat, she took to social media to send a message to her conqueror, as well as Sabalenka, ahead of their meeting in the Australian Open final.
Jessica Pegula reacts to her semifinal loss on social media
In a post on Instagram, Pegula said: “Leaving Melbourne with lots of feelings.
“Grateful for every second and the challenge to get better every day is what continuously drives me crazy and motivates me.
“Still feel as hungry as ever. Hopefully I can continue to show that the rest of the year.
“Thank you melbs @australianopen, and good luck to the girls in the finals,” concluded Pegula, who was seeded sixth at this year’s Australian Open.
The US star has now made two consecutive Grand Slam semifinals, having reached the final four at the 2025 US Open.
Elena Rybakina becomes fourth active player to achieve impressive feat
With her win over Pegula, Rybakina is now into her second Australian Open final.
She last made the championship match Down Under back in 2023, when she lost to Sabalenka in three sets.
According to Opta Ace, Rybakina is now just the fourth active player to emerge victorious in her first two semifinal appearances at the Australian Open.
The 26-year-old joins Naomi Osaka, Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka in the exclusive list of players currently on the WTA tour to achieve the feat.
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Her head-to-head record with her final opponent, Sabalenka, is 8-6 in favour of the Belarusian.
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