Jessica Pegula Stuns at U.S. Open – One Win Away From Historic First Major Semifinal!

Jessica Pegula has advanced to her seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal, aiming to reach her first-ever semifinal. The sixth-seeded American secured her spot by defeating 18th-seeded Russian Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday, maintaining an unblemished record without losing a set in her four matches so far.

On Wednesday, Pegula will face either the top-seeded Iga Swiatek or 16th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova for a chance to make it to the final four. A victory would not only mark her first Grand Slam semifinal appearance but also make her the oldest U.S. woman to achieve this milestone in singles. However, if she falls short, she will tie the record for the most Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances without reaching a semifinal, a distinction currently held by retired players Kaia Kanepi, Carla Suarez Navarro, and Katerina Maleeva, who all went 0-7 in quarterfinals. Manuela Maleeva, who lost her first 11 Grand Slam quarterfinals, finally broke through to the semifinals at the 1992 U.S. Open.

Pegula, now 30, was previously defeated by Swiatek in the quarterfinals of both the French Open and U.S. Open in 2022, a year in which she achieved a career-high world ranking of third. Regardless of her result, Pegula is guaranteed to reclaim her position as the highest-ranked American woman after the U.S. Open, surpassing Coco Gauff.

“There’s been more pressure this year because of how well I performed leading up to this tournament,” Pegula said, reflecting on her recent success, which includes a title win and a runner-up finish in two August tournaments. “But I just need to win this next match to reach the semis, and that’ll take care of everything.”