Jessica Pegula was looking to reach her second consecutive US Open final.
The American star finished as the runner-up 12 months ago, when Pegula lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final.
Offered a chance at revenge, Pegula took to the court to play Sabalenka in the semifinals on Thursday evening.
Making a brighter start than she did in 2024, Pegula won the first set 6-4, but couldn’t hold on to the advantage.
In three sets, Pegula was beaten by Sabalenka 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, suffering her fourth straight defeat to the world number one.
Understandably devastated after the match, Pegula was offered some words of encouragement by her countrywoman, Lindsay Davenport.
Lindsay Davenport tells Jessica Pegula to keep her head up after US Open defeat
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Davenport shared her thoughts on Pegula’s efforts in New York.
“Nothing for Jessica Pegula to hang her head about,” she said.
“It was here at this tournament last year, she had never gotten past the quarterfinals, made a huge run to the final, and came into this year’s tournament with a lot of pressure, did beautifully to get to the semifinal, and gave herself a real chance.”
Davenport did, however, identify what went wrong for Pegula in the final set.
“The 0-4 on break points in the third set made the difference,” she said.
“An early break for [Aryna] Sabalenka, and she never looked back.”
Playing some brilliant tennis, Pegula carved out four break-point opportunities in the final set, but couldn’t convert any of them, as Sabalenka held on to secure her place in the final.
The American legend was mightily impressed with Sabalenka’s performance, as she commented on the Belarusian’s mentality.
“Talk about stepping up on the biggest points of a huge match, that was a mental match for Sabalenka,” said Davenport.
“She did a fantastic job of keeping it together and coming up with some of her best shots when she needed them the most.”
Davenport wasn’t the only one impressed, as former British number one Laura Robson certainly enjoyed herself watching the match court-side.
“That was an absolute pleasure, the drama, the tension, the shot making from both,” she said.
“Hats off, and Pegula, she’ll be disappointed, of course, with the result, but she gave it everything out there, she tried it all.”
Reaching the final was a step too far for Pegula this year, but she can still be proud of her efforts at Flushing Meadows.
She’ll likely rest up for a few days before heading to Shenzhen, China, for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Can Jessica Pegula win the Billie Jean King Cup with Team USA?
Pegula will join up with Team USA captain Davenport later this month at the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
The Americans, as usual, are one of the tournament favorites, having selected some of the best players on the WTA Tour.
Team USA at the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup
- Jessica Pegula
- Madison Keys
- Emma Navarro
- Hailey Baptiste
- Taylor Townsend
- Lindsay Davenport (Captain)
With two top-ten players in the side, Team USA will be hoping for a strong showing in China.
They have, however, struggled at the competition over recent years, and last won the title back in 2017 [3-2 vs Belarus].
Pegula and co. will need to be at their very best if they are to end the eight-year drought in 2025.
The 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 16.
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