Quarter-final line-ups all set in New York
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTAs she enters the seventh Grand Slam quarter-final of her career, Jessica Pegula is well aware she has yet to win one.
The sixth-seeded American eased past in-form 20-year-old Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2 on Labor Day Monday at the US Open, booking a highly-anticipated clash with world No.1 Iga Swiatek, who later dismissed Liudmila Samsonova in straight sets in the evening session on Arthur Ashe stadium.
Pegula, who turned around a tough season with a summer flourish that saw her clinch the WTA 1000 title in Toronto and reach the final in Cincinnati, has won 13 of her last 14 matches.
Looking to snap her winless run in major quarter-finals, Pegula is not discouraged by her 0-6 record at this stage at the Slams.
“I think I'll just try to draw from those experiences and kind of how I felt going into the next match, but it's just so tough,” said the 30-year-old from Buffalo, New York.
“I know you don't want the cliche answer, but it's just kind of one match at a time, and every day feels different. It depends on who you are playing, how the conditions are, when you're playing. There are so many variables day-to-day.
“I think I'll just try to draw on that experience and how maybe I've handled it in the past and kind of what I'm looking to try and do mentally different this time. It's really not that much different.
“I think it helps. I've had a couple of deep runs in some big tournaments obviously leading up to here. I think maybe the only difference is I had a tough start to the year, so I think I'm a little bit more maybe appreciative of being able to turn it around the last month like I have whereas maybe previous years it kind of came like quarter-final, quarter-final. I was making all of those good results one after another.
“So I feel like this time, I don't know, maybe a little less pressure in a way. I think I'm just happy that I've been able to give myself another opportunity, I guess.”
Pegula is 3-6 head-to-head against Swiatek, with all three of her wins coming on hard courts.
He lost in five sets to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final this year, then avenged that defeat with a five-set victory over the Italian in the Wimbledon quarter-finals six months later – Daniil Medvedev will now face the world No.1 for a third time at a Grand Slam in 2024, in a match-up tennis fans have come to truly appreciate.
A US Open champion in 2021, Medvedev reached the quarters in New York for the fifth time in the last six years with a swift 6-0, 6-1, 6-3 victory over unseeded Portuguese Nuno Borges on Monday.
Medvedev has a slight 7-5 head-to-head lead over Sinner in previous meetings and will be looking to snap the Italian’s current eight-match winning streak.
“Against Jannik, we had some tough matches except a couple. I mean, in Miami, for example. I feel like in a way we know our game, what we will try to bring on the table, and then it comes to always, you know, these moments, deuce, break point, maybe try to surprise him or not, what he will do, what I will do,” said Medvedev of his upcoming opponent.
“Hopefully we can have a great match. I know if I want to beat him, I need to be at my best, which I managed to do couple of times. It's going to be a great match.”
Sinner became the first man to capture 20 Grand Slam match-wins this season with a 7-6(3), 7-6(5), 6-1 victory over American No.14 seed Tommy Paul on Monday.
Beatriz Haddad Maia entered new territory as she defeated former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to become the first Brazilian woman to reach the US Open quarter-finals since Maria Bueno in 1968.
“It's very nice to see a lot of people, especially Brazilians cheering for me and following me during the whole year,” said the Brazilian lefty, who next takes on Karolina Muchova for a place in the last four.
“I think that gives me the motivation to keep going also, because I know there is a lot of girls and boys who can get inspired, and they can also dream and see me on these big courts and see that if I'm there, they also can do it.”
Meanwhile, Jack Draper punched his ticket to a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final with a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 success over Tomas Machac.
The 25th-seeded Draper is the first British man to make the US Open quarters since Andy Murray in 2016.
Ten years after reaching the semi-finals in mixed doubles together at the US Open as wildcards, Taylor Townsend and Donald Young have replicated that feat with victory over Anna Danilina and Harri Heliovaara.
The 35-year-old Young hasn’t played a singles match since last September, hasn’t competed in doubles in 14 months, and has taken up pickleball professionally.
He is officially retiring from professional tennis and is enjoying one last hurrah alongside his long-time friend Townsend, in what he describes as a “full-circle moment”.
Sinner is the only man to reach all four Grand Slam quarter-finals this season.
Draper has yet to drop a set en route to the last eight and has been broken just once through four matches.
With Swiatek joining Aryna Sabalenka in the last-eight stage, the top two women’s seeds are through to the US Open quarter-finals for the first time since 2016.
“I've gotten to know her really well this year, and she's a riot (laughing). Don't let her fool you.”
– Pegula has enjoyed getting to know Emma Navarro off court this season.
Swiatek gives Ted Lasso a shout-out after spotting Jason Sudeikis in the stands during her match.
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
