Iga Swiatek (1) and Jessica Pegula (8) gave us one of the weirdest matches at this US Open. The Pole finally disposed of the American in two sets of 6-3 and 7-6 (4) to advance to the semi-finals.
Posted at 9:57 p.m.
Inconstancy. This is the best word to sum up this game. Usually, both players are Swiss clocks, set to the quarter turn. However, Wednesday night’s game was the opposite of what the two athletes have accustomed us to since the start of the season.
On the one hand, the world number one, who can already make a place above her hearth for the trophy of the player of the year with her six titles. On the other, one of the players who has made the most progress in recent months and who continues to climb the ranks in the rankings.
Everything was in place for this cool evening in the Big Apple to be the scene of a great game.
The other Jessica Pegula
The first game of the meeting lived up to expectations. A long duel of eight minutes during which Swiatek saved a break point. However, things got worse for Pegula starting in the mid-innings. Although she smashed her opponent in the fifth game, she completely liquified for the rest of the set. She herself was broken twice, including once when she was leading 30-0, due to too many unforced errors.
PHOTO ROBERT DEUTSCH, USA TODAY SPORTS
Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek
Swiatek is not at the top of the ranking for nothing, of course. On the other hand, Pegula was no longer a shadow of herself. His two weapons of choice, his long-line parallel backhand and his cross-country forehand, weren’t threatening at all. The Pole was touching all the balls, which caused the 28-year-old to make several unforgivable mistakes.
Pegula is known to be a poised, calm and focused player. Except that at times, she threw her racquet, hit a ball in the stands and shouted her displeasure. Three unusual things about the American who was fighting herself.
The service that does not pass
Pegula recovered in the second set, but this second half of the match was an avalanche of service breaks. Of the 12 games that led to the tiebreaker, 10 ended in a break of service on both sides.
PHOTO JULIA NIKHINSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jessica Pegula
Which means either the players were struggling on serve or they were dominant in return. The first hypothesis seems to be the most valid. Swiatek won 50% of his points in the first serve and 48% in the second, while Pegula obtained a ratio of 52% and 21% for these same two categories.
Moreover, the two players tangled their brushes several times, especially on the side of the American, who committed 29 unforced errors and managed only 14 winning shots.
This part was played out in detail. Knowing who was going to neglect the least.
There will be very little to remember on a technical level for the two players. However, with a step back, both can build on what happened.
On the one hand, it’s an eighth straight victory for Swiatek against a top-10 player, confirming that she does indeed have a place on the throne.
On the other hand, Pegula concludes an excellent grand slam season, having reached the quarter-finals in three of the four tournaments. Plateau that she had reached at a single tournament before 2022. She can also remember that she almost came back against the best player in the world in a match that had started very badly.
Swiatek continues
This will therefore be the third semi-final for Swaitek in a major tournament this season. The winner of the Roland-Garros tournament will face Aryna Sabalenka (6).
“I did not expect that at the start of the tournament, she underlined after the meeting, I just wanted to give my best. »
This remarkable season for the 21-year-old athlete could end in a grand way.
She is looking for her third career major title, but she will definitely have to make changes to her game, because the Belarusian will not be an easy prey. She reached the semi-final last year at this same tournament and she just got rid of Danielle Collins (19) Karolina Pliskova (22).