"No one deserves it more" - Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and others laud Jessica Pegula as she reaches maiden Grand Slam final at US Open 2024
Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and other tennis players were overjoyed as Jessica Pegula reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the 2024 US Open. The World No. 6 delivered a stellar performance against Karolina Muchova to achieve the feat.
After ousting top seed Iga Swiatek to snap her 0-6 streak in Grand Slam quarterfinals, Pegula battled it out against Karolina Muchova for a place in the US Open final. The American made a shaky start to the contest, allowing Muchova to clinch the opening set 6-1 and take a 2-0 lead in the second set.
However, Jessica Pegula fought back in remarkable fashion, mounting an incredible comeback to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory after a two-hour and 12-minute battle.
Following her triumph, Pegula was flooded with congratulatory messages from the tennis community and beyond, with Chris Evert expressing her delight at the 30-year-old's well-deserved accomplishment.
"So happy for @JPegula reaching her first final of a Slam! No one deserves it more than her...👏💪🏼👍❤️," Evert posted on X.
Billie Jean King and Jennifer Brady also cheered on the World No. 6's victory.
"Congratulations on advancing to your first Grand Slam women's singles final, @JPegula!" Billie Jean King wrote.
"Love this, also @KPegula looking 🔥," Jennifer Brady posted.
"HA!! LETSSSS GOOOOO!!!! @JPegula," Brady commented further.
Paul McNamee was impressed by Jessica Pegula's "epic fightback," lavishing praise on the American's "tournament-winning performance."
"Gee there’s your match of the tournament… what an epic fightback by Pegula in the 2nd over a dominant Muchova, and what a 3rd set by both players… high, high quality. That’s not just a semi final win, it’s a tournament winning performance by Jess Pegula, and deservedly so," McNamee posted.
Fellow American tennis player Asia Muhammad, former Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn and table tennis star Lily Zhang also extended their heartfelt congratulations to Pegula.
"Hopefully I can get some revenge" - Jessica Pegula gears up for 'tough' US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka
Jessica Pegula will square off against Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster final at the 2024 US Open, following the World No. 2's commanding 6-3, 7-6(2) win over Emma Navarro in the semifinals.
The duo's highly anticipated title clash will serve as a rematch of the recent Cincinnati Open final, where Sabalenka claimed a 6-3, 7-5 victory. Speaking in her on-court interview, Pegula expressed her desire to exact revenge against the Belarusian.
"Playing Aryna is going to be really tough. I mean she showed how tough she is, and why she's probably the favorite to win this tournament. It'll be a rematch of Cincinnati, so hopefully I can get some revenge out here. But I am happy to have a day off. It's kind of crazy that we're playing each other again in the finals," Pegula said.
"But I think it shows how much great court tennis we've been playing and she's gonna be obviously tough to beat. But that's what the finals are for, so I am ready," she added.
Jessica Pegula also called Aryna Sabalenka "tough to beat," which is reflected in the Belarusian's 5-2 lead in their head-to-head record. Pegula will look to close the gap in the final of the New York Major as she chases her maiden Grand Slam title.