Jessica Pegula’s hopes of a second Grand Slam final – her first off US soil – are back on ice after falling short in her AO 2026 semifinal against Elena Rybakina at Rod Laver Arena on Thursday night.
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Following three unsuccessful attempts to pass the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park, the sixth seed broke fresh ground this fortnight, and saved her best to the bitter end only to stumble with a third set in sight against the former Wimbledon champion.
Disappointment was understandable given Pegula saved three match points and broke arguably the best server in the women’s field twice as she served for a place in the final.
“It's tough, I had an amazing tournament here. I played some really good tennis, beat a lot of really good players, put up a fight tonight, but obviously I want to win the tournament. That always sucks when you don't,” Pegula said after the 6-3 7-6(7) defeat.
“So I feel like my experience over the last couple of years has really, I don't know, made me feel a lot more comfortable at this stage.
“I made now two Slam semifinals back-to-back, I think that's really good and put myself in these positions. I still feel like I'm getting better as a player.”
Pegula rightfully had cause to believe she would keep this campaign alive given the way she had dismantled reigning champion Madison Keys and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova – both in straight sets – in the previous rounds.
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Her record against the Kazakhstani was strong, too, having claimed half the pair’s six career meetings, although she had succumbed in both matches last year.
Unable to make significant inroads on the AO 2023 finalist’s commanding serve early, it made for a steep uphill battle in the opening set.
The American could have been shown the door at 6-3 5-3, left to pick up the pieces from a seemingly lopsided contest.
Instead, she stood her ground against an early onslaught, raised her level and planted seeds of doubt in Rybakina to almost force a decider.
“It's tough when you play in those conditions against a girl that hits big, you know, because you always feel on edge, like they're going to hit a bunch of winners or hit a bunch of aces, in her case,” Pegula said.
“I think I was just a little erratic in the beginning, kind of maybe overthinking it a little bit too and not just trusting the things that I had been doing as well. But, you know, the conditions definitely make it tougher, and I just didn't adapt as quick as I needed to.”
A semifinalist at Flushing Meadows last year and a finalist there a year before – where both times she fell to eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka – Pegula had her sights set on a 13th meeting with the world No.1 in Saturday’s title match.
Having fallen in eight of her 11 Grand Slam clashes against top 10 rivals, she required her third straight such victory in three rounds against Rybakina to set the showdown, but was left to rue a pair of missed set-point opportunities in a tense tiebreak.
“To win these tournaments, you have to be able to adapt to these different conditions at different times of the day, different courts. I think I've gotten much better at that,” she said.
“I think there was improvement in that tonight. I do think I started playing better against someone that hits as big as she does on a slower court. I do think I did a better job of it tonight than maybe I would have a couple years ago, so that's promising, but still frustrating I think, nonetheless.
“Yeah, just something I have to figure out.”