Jessica Pegula on what has completely changed in her game at the US Open, ‘I have surprised myself’

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Jessica Pegula is back into the semifinals of the US Open, where she faces a reunion with Aryna Sabalenka.

WTA Tour number one Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the final of the 2024 US Open, winning their match 7-5, 7-5.

They now meet for a spot in this year’s final, with Pegula reaching the last four after a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Barbora Krejcikova.

Sabalenka meanwhile benefited from the withdrawal of Marketa Vondrousova due to injury just before their quarterfinal.

Arthur Ashe Stadium will play host to her match with Pegula, the venue where the Belarusian beat the American to clinch the trophy in 2024.

What has completely changed about Jessica Pegula’s game at the US Open

But a lot has changed for Pegula since then, as revealed by the world number four in her latest press conference.

“I guess I have surprised myself,” she explained. “I think at the end of the day I always come back to the fact that I am pretty confident with who I am.

“I think I will always back myself and figure things out in the end instead of spiralling and letting it go too far.

READ MORE: Jessica Pegula reveals what happened when she faced Aryna Sabalenka in training at the US Open which she stopped early

“I definitely do that a little bit, but I think I always catch myself just in time and I think that’s what I’ve been able to do for the last four or five years, being a top player.

“I feel like I can always come back to the fact that I can figure it out in the end and that always hits me in the toughest moments of the year.

“It still does not mean that it’s easy and it’s a challenge, always, but I think now, especially as I have gotten older I can tap into a lot of the experience that I have.

“I think too, this week, I have tried to get back to competing and enjoying competing and keeping the attitude really positive and enjoying playing on Ashe in front of the fans. I have been taking that into account and getting back to more of the fun aspect of playing, which is fun.

“It’s not fun to go out there and stress yourself out and be worried about how you are playing every second of the day. I definitely did that for a few weeks, but I guess that I got over it.”

Jessica Pegula vs Aryna Sabalenka head-to-head before US Open rematch

Pegula’s positive attitude suggests she won’t be thinking too much about that heartbreaking final loss in 2024.

But she may also need to put her head-to-head record with Sabalenka to one side as another rematch approaches.

While it may motivate her, Pegula could be impacted by her worrying history against her WTA rival, having won just two of their nine matches.

That includes a loss in the final of the Miami Open earlier this year, where Sabalenka won 7-5, 6-2 to secure the title.

Revenge will now be on the mind of the American, who can undoubtedly rely on the majority of the support at Arthur Ashe.

The fans will be desperate to see an American emerge victorious, just like Madison Keys did at the 2025 Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the 2025 French Open.