US Open: Iga Swiatek crashes out as Jessica Pegula progress to last four

US Open 

Thursday, 5 September, 2024

McCreadie Andias 

Jessica Pegula shocked World Number 1 Iga Swiatek knocking her out of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday morning.

The victory earned Pegula her first Grand Slam semifinal. 

The world No. 1 did not face a single break point during her fourth-round triumph against Liudmila Samsonova.

Swiatek thrashed Pegula 6-0, 6-1 in their last meeting at the WTA Finals at the end of last season. However, the American would always pose a much more significant challenge at her home Grand Slam.

Pegula entered the US Open in excellent form. She retained her title at the Canadian Open by beating Amanda Anisimova in the final before finishing as the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati.

The 30-year-old also did not drop a set in her opening four matches at the US Open. Many fans were expecting a tight battle, but the opening set ended up being the opposite of that.

Swiatek was broken in the match's first game, hitting a double fault at 30-40 down to lose the game. The Pole pushed Pegula to deuce in her opening service game, but the home favorite stood firm.

The crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium was then stunned by Swiatek double-faulting again on break point down to give Pegula a 3-0 lead. Although most of the fans supported Pegula, there was also a stunned silence after the poor start by the world No. 1.

Swiatek's strategy was questionable throughout the match. Pegula thrives in rallies with a flat and consistent pace due to the little spin she puts on her shots. By contrast, Swiatek hits her forehand, in particular, with more spin.

Surprisingly, Swiatek consistently tried to outhit Pegula from the baseline rather than being more patient in the rallies. That led to the 23-year-old hitting just three winners and a staggering 19 unforced errors in an opening set she lost 2-6.

Most would have expected Swiatek to change tactics after she took a long bathroom break. Yet, that was not the case. She continued to be persistent with flat shots that Pegula thrives against.

Pegula got the first break of the set once again before Swiatek finally got some joy in the following game. The world No. 1 hit a stunning forehand winner that barely clipped the sideline to level the score at 2-2.

However, that did not lead to the revival in fortunes that the Pole's fans would have hoped for. More intense and solid hitting from the baseline saw Swiatek blink first once again at 3-3, and she got broken for the fourth time in the match.

Pegula served for a place in her first Grand Slam semifinal at 6-2, 5-4 up. There were undoubtedly some nerves after six previous quarterfinal losses. Yet, she managed to serve out the match comfortably to secure a memorable 6-2, 6-4 triumph.

Pegula will play Karolina Muchova in the the Semi Finals.