US Open: Jessica Pegula upsets No. 1 Iga Swiatek to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal

Jessica Pula delivered a stunning performance at the US Open on Wednesday upsetting world number one igas swch in straight set 6 to2 6 to4 to advance to her first ever Grand Slam semi-final the 30-year-old American who had been repeatedly questioned about her inability to advance past the quarterfinal stage in her previous six attempts at Majors finally broke through securing a landmark victory in her career heading into the match there was significant Buzz around pula's Grand Slam struggles after each pre round the same question loomed large could she finally break her quarterfinal jinx this narrative intensified in pre-match interviews as both the press and fans waited to see if she could topple the formidable swek who has dominated women's tennis for the past few years Pula however seemed unfazed by the pressure displaying Poise and grit she took control of the match from the outset using her powerful ground strokes and solid defensive play to frustrate swek in stark contrast to her opponent's erratic performance Pula remained steady throughout there have been so many times and I just kept losing Pula reflected postmatch I know everyone keeps asking me about it but I was like I don't know what else to do I just need to get there again and like win the match pula's victory was built on exploiting sw's uncharacteristically weak serve and forehand errors swek a four-time grand slam Champion struggled to find her Rhythm particularly on her first serve she managed to land only 36% of her first serves in the first set giving pigula frequent opportunities to break suek frustration boiled over as she committed 22 unforced errors off her forehand which ultimately contributed to her downfall despite swek reputation as a dominant player on tour having lost only two service games in her previous four matches Pula exposed the cracks in her game early by breaking swch serve in her first two service games Pula raced to a commanding Ford zero lead within the first 20 minutes of the match this aggressive start set the tone for the encounter as pula's consistency on both offense and defense forced swotch to hit numerous extra shots often leading to mistakes though swch fought back in the second set narrowing the score line and briefly threatening to mount a comeback Pula held firm when swek broke to Trail just four to3 in the second set it appeared she might shift the momentum but Pula promptly responded by winning the final two games to close out the match this Victory is particularly sweet for Pula who now enters Uncharted Territory with a semi-final birth she will face kolina muchova of the Czech Republic who also Advanced to the final four after a commanding 6 to1 6 to4 victory over Brazil's beatric Hadad Maya earlier on Wednesday muchova runner up at last year's French Open is returning to top form after overcoming a series of injuries including surgery on her right wrist in 2023 Kula praised mucho as a complete and skilled player but expressed confidence following her own recent victory over the Czech player at the Cincinnati open meanwhile in other women's matches American number 13 seed Emma Navaro will face number two arena sabalenka in the other semi-final both players are aiming to secure their first US Open titles on the men's side there is also plenty of American success number 12 seed Taylor Fritz and number 20 seed Francis tifo will meet in an All-American semi-final on Friday marking the first time since 2003 that multiple Americans have reached the semi-finals in both the men's and women's draws at the US Open the other men's semi-final will feature world number one janx sinner who overcame denil medvive in four sets against Great Britain's Jack Draper who advanced by defeating Australia's Alex De Manor