Stick the Stars and Stripes across the net from Jessica Pegula and she elevates her game to another level.
Pegula advanced to the Australian Open semifinals for the first time after comfortably eclipsing fellow American Anna Anisimova 6-2 7-6(1) on Wednesday.
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It marked the New York-born Pegula’s 14th win in her past 15 meetings against American opponents, continuing a remarkable run of domestic dominance.
"I mean, I'll take it," Pegula said with a laugh when informed of that remarkable stat. "I'll take those bragging rights. I guess it's something I pride myself a little bit on, especially against some of the younger girls.
"It's kind of like a 'hey, you're not quite there yet', maybe a little bit - a little nod to that."
Pegula was simply too clean and clinical as she moved to 4-0 head-to-head against Anisimova, remaining a riddle her taller, younger countrywoman just can't yet crack.
After falling at the quarterfinal hurdle in Melbourne three straight years from 2021 to 2023, the 31-year-old finally broke through that ceiling, breaching the final four where she will meet fifth seed Elena Rybakina for a place in the final.
"Really happy with my performance today," Pegula said. "I thought from start to finish there was a lot of momentum swings, but I thought I came out playing really well, came out serving really well, and was able to just hold on there in the second and get that break back and take it in two.
"So, I think I showed some good mental resilience there at the end not to get frustrated. Just really happy with everything today."
Sixth-seeded Pegula set the tone early, breaking Anisimova to love straight out of the blocks before striking again to 15 for a commanding 4-1 springboard.
With minimal fuss, she wrapped up the 30-minute opening set with an ace down the T - her sixth of the match.
No.4 seed Anisimova had her chances in the second set, but was rarely able to summon her A-game, both on serve and from the ground, often cutting an anguished, frustrated figure as the self-proclaimed perfectionist searched for answers.
The 24-year-old New Jersey native conjured her first break for 5-3, only to surrender it immediately, Pegula pouncing on a double fault to break straight back.
Anisimova’s serving woes persisted, coughing up three double faults in the 11th game as Pegula, in full attack mode on return, broke again for 6-5.
Pegula couldn’t serve it out, but the delay proved brief.
She dominated the tiebreak, earning serene passage into her third Grand Slam semifinal - and a second in succession following last year’s US Open in her home city.
For late-blooming Pegula, also a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2024 when she succumbed in two tight sets to Aryna Sabalenka, every one of her semifinal appearances have come since turning 30.
Pegula's previous six Slam quarterfinals, all while in her 20s, resulted in losses.
"I do feel like when I look back at other quarterfinal matches that I had lost, I just don't know if mentally I was really there," she said. "I think I kind of, I don't know, was happy that I was there and then I think (I) just put a little bit too much pressure on myself to get to that next match.
"But also I think I've become a better player where I just know how to be in this position more. I think I have more tools. So when you feel like you have more in the tool shed when you are out there and things aren't going great, that is a lot of confidence right there.
"When you kind of feel like you're helpless, which I felt like some of the quarterfinals I lost previously I was, it's frustrating, because you feel like you can't do anything to flip the match.
"You're just kind of competing and hoping something changes. In some of those matches, I just felt like I wasn't the better player throughout the match. I'm just proud of myself, of how I've been able to consistently still improve."