In her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, Jessica Pegula finally found reason to celebrate.
On Wednesday, the sixth-seeded American ended her drought at Arthur Ashe Stadium, stunning top seed Iga Swiatek to reach her first ever Grand Slam semifinal.
Swiatek was considered the second favorite to win the 2024 U.S. Open, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and had coasted through the tournament as one of only three players in the women's draw to not drop a set in New York (Karolina Muchova, Jessica Pegula).
Instead, it's Pegula, whose remarkable summer hard-court swing continues.
The American has now won 14 of her last 15 matches and, on Thursday, will face Karolina Muchova in the semifinal.
Here are the top reactions from Wednesday's play.
Wednesday U.S. Open Results
Men's Singles
No. 1 Jannik Sinner def. No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
No. 25 Jack Draper def. No. 10 Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2
Women's Singles
No. 6 Jessica Pegula def. No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 6-4
Karolina Muchova def. No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia, 6-1, 6-4
Jannik Sinner Looks Unbeatable
What will it take for an opponent to defeat Jannik Sinner?
After defeating Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinal round, the Italian has now won 33 of 35 matches on the hard-court surface in 2024.
The 23-year-old continues to excel with his booming forehand and serve.
On his first serve, Sinner won 75% of the points.
The most impressive stat, however, was the Italian's second serve, in which he won 61% of the points against an opponent who typically dominates players' second serves due to the power he's able to generate.
Sinner has been an outlier in a tournament full of upsets and will go into his semifinal match against Jack Draper as a clear favorite.
Jack Draper Reaches First Grand Slam Semifinal
Jack Draper is the first British man to reach the U.S. Open semifinals since Andy Murray in 2012.
In his latest win against Alex de Minaur, the No. 25 seed won an impressive 84% of points on first serve while being able to keep up with the Aussie, who is considered one of the best movers on tour.
Draper's biggest concern has been physicality; however, against de Minaur, he was able to hold his own, showing few worries regarding endurance.
On Friday, the first-time semifinalist will face the toughest take yet against either Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev.
To defeat either of these opponents, who are considered two of the best on the hard-court surface, Draper must perform exceptionally well, particularly from first serve, where he's perhaps most effective.
Jessica Pegula Gets over Quarterfinal Hump
Jessica Pegula's summer continues to get better.
After defeating Iga Swiatek in her seventh quarterfinal appearance, she is now through to a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in her career.
Pegula wasn't necessarily dominant early, but Swiatek's sluggish start made the difference.
The top seed came out tentative in the opening set, struggling to find her groove, especially on her serve, where she only hit five first serves out of twenty-two total serves.
Furthermore, she struggled with movement and, in the first set, committed 19 unforced errors—uncharacteristic for her standards even in a two-set match—to just three winners.
In the second set, Swiatek was able to find her top form, but unforced errors continued to be her Achileese hell.
Pegula continued to dominate forehand rallies before taking a decisive service break en route to a straight-set victory.
On Thursday, Pegula will look to continue her dominant summer against Karolina Muchova, who has now reached the semifinal in back-to-back years.
Karolina Muchova Continues to Excel
Karolina Muchova is advancing to the U.S. Open semifinal for the second consecutive year.
The Czech has been dominant throughout her first five matches, and she has not lost a set this entire tournament.
In her latest victory, Muchova won 78% of points on her first serve while dominating Beatriz Haddad Maia's serve, breaking the Brazilian's serve four times.
The world No. 52 continues to be one of the toughest players to face on tour, primarily because she's been able to remain so consistent and move so well.
In fact, Muchova has committed no more than 15 unforced errors across a match dating back to her second-round victory over Naomi Osaka.
On Thursday, the 28-year-old will face a tough test against either Iga Swiatek or Jessica Pegula; however, given the way she has performed as this year's Open, she is more than capable of holding her own.
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