Jessica Pegula is one of the best tennis players in the world, but has never made it to the semi-finals at Grand Slams. At the US Open, she plays her way to the forefront
Six times she reached the quarter-finals, six times she failed. On her seventh attempt, she finally made it. Jessica Pegula has made it to the semi-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. At the US Open, the 30-year-old defeated world number one Iga Świątek in two sets (6:2, 6:4).
It is probably the US American’s greatest sporting success, securing her a million US dollars in prize money – a fraction of her father’s fortune. Terrence Pegula is a natural gas entrepreneur and owns several sports teams. He is one of the 400 wealthiest people in the world. Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at 7.7 billion dollars.
A US duel is possible
In the semi-finals, Jessica Pegula, ranked sixth in the world, will face Karolina Muchova from the Czech Republic. Muchova defeated the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6:1, 6:4 in the quarter-finals and, like Pegula, has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
The fans in Flushing Meadows can now even hope for an all-US duel in the final. In the second semi-final, American Emma Navarro will face Aryna Sabalenka. Navarro, ranked 12th in the world, defeated Spain’s Paula Badosa 6:2, 7:5 in her quarter-final, while Sabalenka beat the Chinese Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 6:1, 6:2.
