Queens, NY—-Jessica Pegula once again found herself in trouble at the U.S. Open. Once again, she found a way out.
The No. 3 seed rallied past fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday night to reach the semifinals in New York, continuing a season in which Pegula has repeatedly proven difficult to put away.
The victory sets up another blockbuster meeting with Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and two-time defending U.S. Open champion. The semifinal will be a rematch of last year’s final four, when Sabalenka recovered after dropping the opening set to defeat Pegula.
Sabalenka also defeated Pegula in the 2024 U.S. Open final, making their latest meeting part of a remarkable run of three consecutive tournaments in which the two have crossed paths in the latter stages.
They become just the fourth pair of women in the Open Era to meet in the semifinals or later at the U.S. Open three years in a row.
But before Pegula could begin thinking about Sabalenka, she had to solve Navarro.
The match didn’t get underway until much later than expected following an unusually long day session, pushing the all-American quarterfinal well beyond the normal start time for the evening schedule.
Once play finally began, Navarro looked ready for the moment.
She immediately pressured Pegula’s serve and broke twice during the opening set, taking control and forcing the third-seeded veteran to chase the match.
Pegula responded in the second set, gradually finding more consistency from the baseline and refusing to allow Navarro to dictate the pace. She eventually leveled the contest at one set apiece, forcing a deciding set.
Navarro regained the advantage early in the third, breaking Pegula to move ahead 2-1.
That, however, proved to be the turning point.
Pegula raised her level when the match was on the line, rattling off four consecutive games to seize control. Navarro couldn’t find a response, and Pegula closed out the victory to secure another Grand Slam semifinal appearance.
It was hardly unfamiliar territory for Pegula.
She also had to overcome a one-set deficit against Leylah Fernandez earlier in the tournament, another example of her ability to remain composed when matches begin moving away from her.
That resilience has become one of the defining characteristics of Pegula’s season. She has now won 19 three-set matches in 2026, the most on the women’s tour.
At 32, Pegula is also continuing to rewrite her own Grand Slam story.
With her latest victory, she became the oldest woman in the Open Era to reach multiple major semifinals in the same season for the first time in her career. She previously reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in January.
Now comes perhaps her biggest challenge of the tournament.
Sabalenka stands between Pegula and a place in the U.S. Open final.
The world No. 1 has already proven capable of ending Pegula’s run on this stage. But after another comeback victory, Pegula arrives at their latest showdown with plenty of confidence—and a growing belief that she can finally turn the rivalry in her favor.
