“Jessica Pegula Faces Her Biggest Challenge Yet: 7th Grand Slam Quarterfinal Clash with World No. 1 Iga Świątek!”

Jessica Pegula has once again secured her spot in the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open after defeating Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. This marks her seventh appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but the real challenge lies ahead: Pegula has never advanced past this stage, holding a 0-6 record in major quarterfinals. This time, she’ll face World No. 1 Iga Świątek.

 

Pegula, seeded sixth, is in top form, winning 13 of her last 14 matches on hard courts. This impressive run includes her second consecutive title in Canada and a finals appearance at the Cincinnati Open, where she fell to No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.

 

Reflecting on her journey, Pegula noted, “I’ll just try to draw from those experiences and kind of how I felt going into the next match, but it’s just so tough. I know you don’t want the cliche answer, but it’s just kind of one match at a time, and every day kind of feels different. It depends on who you are playing, how the conditions are, when you’re playing. There are so many variables day to day.”

 

Karolina Muchova also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 5 Jasmine Paolini. Muchova, who was a runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon this season, will next face No. 22 Beatriz Haddad Maia, who defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Haddad Maia made history by becoming the first Brazilian woman to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals since Maria Bueno in 1968. Haddad Maia, a 28-year-old left-hander, was suspended for 10 months in 2019 after failing a doping test but has since made a strong comeback, reaching the semifinals at the French Open last year.

 

Muchova’s journey has been marked by resilience. After reaching the final in Paris and the semifinals in New York in 2023, she underwent surgery on her right wrist in October, which sidelined her for 10 months. Reflecting on her recovery, Muchova said, “This was my worst and most serious injury, I would say. But, I mean, I love the sport, so in my head, I was like, ‘I will do everything I could to get better and try.’ And here I am today. I’m just a really happy kid now.”

 

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff, who was seeded No. 3, was eliminated on Sunday by No. 13 Emma Navarro.

 

In men’s action, No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated No. 14 Tommy Paul 7-