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Jessica Pegula’s road to her first career Grand Slam final was not an easy one.
The 30-year-old was dominated in the first set by Karolína Muchová in the U.S. Open semifinal on Thursday.
Muchova won the set 6-1, taking 30 of the set's 44 total points, while being responsible for 10 of the first 12 winners in the match. The first set was only 28 minutes.
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Jessica Pegula (USA) reacts after beating Karolina Muchova (CZE) on day 11 of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. (Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)
Pegula, playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal, was rattled.
"I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner," Pegula said. "I was about to burst into tears, because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me."
The beginning of the second set was not very different from the first. Muchova was a single point away from a commanding 3-0 lead but could not convert break point, and Pegula had found some life.
That game began a stretch when Pegula won nine of 11 games, taking the second set 6-4 and then starting out the third set 3-0.
"I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs. And then at the end of the second set, into the third set, I started to play like how I wanted to play. It took a while," Pegula said.
JESSICA PEGULA SHOOTS DOWN 'OUTRAGEOUS' BUTLER SERVICE RUMORS BEFORE BEATING NO 1 SEED IN US OPEN
Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic reacts after losing a point to Jessica Pegula of the United States during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
"I don’t know how I turned that around."
Part of the reason for her turnaround was that Muchova started to cool off.
After going 7 for 7 on points at the net in the first set, she went 15 for 29 the rest of the way. After only seven unforced errors in the first set, she had 33 in the second and third.
Pegula completely flipped the script on Muchova, winning 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, giving her a chance at her first Grand Slam title.
Pegula’s opponent in the U.S. Open women’s final is no. 2 ranked Aryna Sabalenka, a player whom she is familiar with.
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Jessica Pegula of the United States reacts after scoring a point against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Sabalenka handed Pegula her only loss in her last 16 matches when she defeated the American in the hard-court Cincinnati Open in August.
"Hopefully," Pegula said, "I can get some revenge out here."
Pegula’s quest for revenge against Sabalenka will take place on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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