As Jessica Pegula closed in on the biggest victory of her career, she all but forgot how to serve.
The U.S. Open crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was at her back. The tension crept into her shoulders. With the world No. 1 across the court, she could only muster a second serve at 65 miles per hour.
The freeze, it turned out, was only temporary. Moments later, the 30-year-old American closed out a 6-2, 6-4 upset over Iga Swiatek. And more than just a stunning upset, the result came with a palpable sense of relief.
Pegula had reached Grand Slam quarterfinals on six occasions before Wednesday and lost all six.
The miserable streak had dragged on so long that she was the only player ranked in the top 10 never to play a major semifinal.
Now, at the very least, Pegula’s quarterfinal hoodoo is behind her. She will now face Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in the semis on Thursday after her fellow American Emma Navarro takes on No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
“I’ve been so many freaking times and I just kept losing,” Pegula said of the quarterfinal jinx. “But finally—finally—I can say semifinalist.”
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