Jessica Pegula beats Emma Navarro to set up Sabalenka semifinal at US Open

What the report says

Jessica Pegula advanced to the US Open semifinals after defeating fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a tense quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The third-seeded Pegula needed two hours and 20 minutes to recover from a slow start and close out the match, which featured frequent breaks of serve and demanding conditions.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, Pegula and Navarro played an all-American matchup, with Pegula improving her record to 5-0 against Navarro. Navarro has been rebuilding form after time away to focus on health issues and had recently won a title in Strasbourg in May. Pegula said after the match that the contest was physically tough and affected by humidity, and that she was not serving at her best.

The win sets up another semifinal meeting between Pegula and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending US Open champion. Al Jazeera noted that this will be their third straight meeting at Flushing Meadows, with Sabalenka having beaten Pegula in last year’s final and in the semifinals the year before. The result also carries ranking implications, as Pegula is among several players with a chance to challenge Sabalenka for the world No. 1 position, depending on how the tournament unfolds.