Sabalenka to Face Pegula in US Open Semifinals

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Jessica Pegula have both advanced to the US Open semifinals after winning three-set quarterfinal matches, setting up a meeting at the New York tournament for the third consecutive year. Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, is seeking her third straight title at Flushing Meadows and her first Grand Slam trophy of the 2026 season. Pegula, the top-ranked American player, enters the match seeking to reverse previous losses to Sabalenka in both the 2024 final and the 2025 semifinals.

Sabalenka’s Route to the Semifinals

Sabalenka earned her spot in the semifinals after recovering from a deficit in her quarterfinal match against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. Trailing 4-2 in the final set, Sabalenka broke Noskova’s serve to tie the set at 4-4 before securing a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory in a deciding 10-point tiebreak. The win followed earlier victories in the tournament, including a fourth-round match against Taylor Townsend in which Sabalenka was broken three times in her first four service games before recovering control. Townsend described Sabalenka as a phenomenal player after the match, adding, “Too good.”

Prior to the quarterfinals, the 28-year-old Sabalenka had not dropped a set or played a match lasting longer than 89 minutes in New York, losing a total of eight games across her first two rounds.

Season Form and Major Record

Sabalenka arrived at the tournament holding the world No. 1 ranking despite mixed results in recent months. After reaching the Australian Open final in January and winning titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March, she suffered round-of-16 exits at Wimbledon in July, the Canadian Open, and the Cincinnati Open. Despite those setbacks, Sabalenka has maintained consistency at major tournaments over several years. Since Wimbledon in 2021, she has reached the quarterfinals or better at every Grand Slam event she has contested, appearing in eight major finals and winning four titles, including two in New York. The 2026 tournament marks her sixth consecutive semifinal appearance at the US Open.

Head-to-Head Record and Rivalry

Sabalenka holds a 9-4 career record against Pegula, including victories in all three of their Grand Slam encounters. In their 2025 US Open semifinal meeting, Sabalenka rallied from a set down to defeat Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, following a victory over the American in the 2024 final.

Speaking after her quarterfinal victory, Sabalenka acknowledged Pegula’s progress in recent years. Sabalenka called Pegula a “really challenging player to play against” and added that “playing against her, it’s going to be really high-intensity level of tennis.” Sabalenka also stated she was “super happy” to remain in contention for a third straight US Open title while focusing on trying to “shut down all of the noises” around her performance.

Background

The US Open is the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year, held annually on hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Women’s singles matches feature a 128-player draw competing across seven rounds, with matches played in a best-of-three-sets format.