Jessica Pegula endured a bruising and inconsistent night on Arthur Ashe Stadium but once again demonstrated the resilience that has become a defining feature of her game, fighting back from a set down to defeat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and reach the US Open semifinals for the third consecutive year.
In front of a packed crowd in New York, Pegula was far from her best, particularly on serve. Yet the third-seeded American refused to allow her struggles to derail her quarterfinal campaign, recovering from an early deficit in the deciding set before eventually closing out the two-hour, 21-minute battle.
"It was really tough. It was physical. It was humid. I wasn't exactly serving my best, and I was fighting a lot of demons out there today," Pegula said in her on-court interview. "So thank you guys so much for coming out here. It's an honor to play in front of you guys. There's nothing like it."
The victory sends Pegula into her fourth Grand Slam semifinal. She also reached the final four at the Australian Open earlier this year, continuing what has been an increasingly consistent run at the sport's biggest tournaments.
The result also marks another significant milestone at the US Open for Pegula, who was the runner-up in New York in 2024. She remains unbeaten against Navarro, improving her record against the 26th seed to 5-0. Three of those victories have required three sets, underlining just how competitive their encounters have become.
Pegula's ability to find a way through difficult matches was again on display Tuesday. Since the beginning of the decade, she has recorded more three-set victories and comeback wins than any other player on the WTA Tour, with 90 three-set wins and 48 victories after dropping the opening set.
Against Navarro, however, the American had to overcome more than just the scoreline.
Pegula won only 41% of her second-serve points and struggled to establish sustained control of her service games. Neither player was able to settle into a consistent rhythm, with the two combining for 24 break points.
Still, Pegula's attacking game eventually gave her the edge. She struck 31 winners against 30 unforced errors and converted five break points, repeatedly finding ways to pressure Navarro when the match reached its most important stages.
Navarro, who pushed Pegula throughout the contest, described the match as a constant battle for momentum.
"It was super back and forth," Navarro said in her post-match press conference. "I think there was a minute where I felt like I kind of had her number. Then she probably felt the same about me for a little while and probably at the right times. I don't know. One of us would get a little bit of momentum, and then the other would step up and play a good point."
That ebb and flow was particularly evident in the deciding set.
With the match finely balanced, Pegula produced one of her sharpest points of the night when she used her quick hands to fire a crosscourt backhand return winner, breaking Navarro for a 4-2 advantage.
It proved to be a crucial turning point.
Pegula then held her nerve in the closing stages, producing an unusually high-quality second serve for the evening to finish off the contest. The victory also gave her a 50th tour-level win of the 2026 season.
Now comes a familiar opponent and a familiar challenge.
Pegula will face Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, renewing a rivalry that has become a fixture at the US Open in recent years. Sabalenka defeated Pegula in straight sets in the 2024 final before coming from a set down to beat her again in last year's semifinals.
The American trails Sabalenka 4-9 in their head-to-head record, but she enters this year's meeting with renewed confidence after winning two of their last three encounters.
Pegula defeated Sabalenka in a comeback victory in Wuhan last year and then beat her again in the semifinals in Berlin earlier this season, winning the deciding set 6-0.
Despite those recent successes, Pegula knows the US Open has presented a particularly difficult obstacle whenever she has faced Sabalenka.
"I think it's fun to look at the rivalry we've had," Pegula said in her post-match press conference. "She's gotten me here the last couple of years. I've been able to beat her a few times, maybe on a smaller stage, so I think that's going to be a hurdle for me to get over.
"But at the same time, I think it's fun. We've challenged each other. I know she's definitely pushed me to become a better player, so I always respect and appreciate that aspect of our rivalry."
For Pegula, the challenge now is to turn another deep US Open run into a different ending.
Two years ago, she reached the final only to fall to Sabalenka. Last year, her campaign ended in the semifinals against the same opponent. This time, she arrives at the final four with another opportunity to rewrite the story.
And after surviving one of her most demanding nights of the tournament, Pegula will enter the semifinal knowing that she does not necessarily need to be at her absolute best to remain in contention.
She simply needs to keep finding a way through.