Jessica Pegula continues to redraw the limits of her career in New York. The 31-year-old American swept into the last four of the US Open on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of Barbora Krejcikova, becoming the first woman to reach back-to-back semi-finals here without dropping a set since Serena Williams strung together four straight runs between 2011 and 2014.
It was a performance of cool authority, built less on fireworks than on persistence and precision. She needed only 86 minutes to subdue her opponent, whose serve collapsed under pressure with seven double faults and a first-serve percentage barely above 40%. Where Krejcikova unravelled, Pegula stayed the course, drawing energy from a nearly full Arthur Ashe Stadium that sensed they were watching a home contender gather momentum.
