Iga Swiatek improved her brilliant Grand Slam form in 2022 after defeating home favourite Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6(4) to reach the US Open semifinals.
Playing in her first US Open quarterfinal and her third Major quarterfinal of the season, Swiatek took her time to settle in the match, after going an early break down to Pegula.
The world number one started to find her range and broke back immediately before taking four games in a row to clinch the opening set 6-3.
The American number one Pegula has shown extraordinary consistency this year, reaching seven quarterfinals in 2022, and lost to the eventual champions at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, both in the last eight.
The quality of Swiatek’s tennis dipped in the second set, and both players shared six breaks of serve in the first eight games, before the Pole broke to serve for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 but was pegged back on both occasions.
Swiatek recovered well mentally from failing to serve the match out twice, and after taking the match on a tiebreak, she denied Pegula of her first Grand Slam semifinal, despite recording her best US Open result.
“I’m super proud of myself,” said Swiatek, who has defeated a top 10 player for the eigth time in a row. “My goal basically is to be consistent and play against the top players in the world. I want to push myself further now because I think any of us can win any tournament. Everyone is a really dangerous opponent, especially Jessica with her consistency.”
After a brief drop in form from Swiatek lately, relative to her stunning results earlier in the year featuring a 37-match winning streak, the world number one was not considered as one of the favourite for this year’s US Open. Many had doubted her ability to adjust to the conditions, and the ball used at the tournament, which sparked much debate before her opening round got underway.
Now, there is a significant chance that Swiatek will win her second major of the year, and third overall. She will face Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday night and has won all of three of their meetings this year, with the Pole leading 3-1 overall in their head-to-head.