(New York) Polish world number 1 Iga Swiatek was dominated by American Jessica Pegula (6e) 6-2, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis tournament on Wednesday in New York.
Pegula, 30, will play her first Grand Slam semi-final on Thursday against Czech Karolina Muchova (52).e), after six failures in the quarter-finals.
PHOTO ADAM HUNGER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jessica Pegula
“Finally I can say that I am a semi-finalist! I knew I could do it if I applied my game without getting frustrated,” Pegula commented at the stadium microphone.
Swiatek (23 years old), victorious at Flushing Meadows in 2022 and four times crowned at Roland-Garros, was weighed down by her unforced errors (41 in 18 games played, against 22 for Pegula).
Apparently nervous, the Polish player offered the first game of the match on her serve, with a double fault after several errors in the previous points, direct errors which multiplied throughout the match.
PHOTO ANDREW KELLY, REUTERS
Jessica Pegula (USA) and Iga Swiatek (Poland) shake hands.
Pegula’s qualification adds even more depth to the excellent tournament for the Americans, who have four semi-finalists: Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe who face each other on Friday, and Emma Navarro, a novice at this level, facing Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday.