Jessica Pegula Beats Emma Navarro to Reach US Open Semifinal, Will Face Sabalenka in 2024 Final Rematch

Jessica Pegula, ranked and seeded No. 3, rallied from a set down to beat fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the 2026 US Open quarterfinals, played Tuesday night, September 8, at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The win puts the No. 3-seeded Pegula into Thursday’s semifinal, September 10, where she will face top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final. She has reached at least the US Open semifinal round in each of the past three years, including the 2024 final and 2025 semifinal.

Key facts

Result: Jessica Pegula beat Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals
When: Tuesday night, September 8, at Arthur Ashe Stadium
Next match: Semifinal against Aryna Sabalenka on Thursday, September 10
Seeding: Pegula is the No. 3 seed; Sabalenka is the top-ranked, two-time defending champion
Head-to-head: Pegula now leads Navarro 5-0; Sabalenka holds the edge over Pegula overall, though Pegula won 2 of their last 3 meetings
Season: Pegula has 50 match wins in 2026, the most on the WTA Tour, and has reached five tour finals

A historic all-American quarterfinal

The Pegula-Navarro match was the first all-American women’s quarterfinal at the US Open since 2015, when Serena Williams beat her sister Venus. Navarro, the No. 26 seed, had her own rough road back to a major quarterfinal: she went 4-9 in matches between January and mid-March of this year, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism — an underactive thyroid — and took roughly two months off before returning to win the title in Strasbourg in May. She reached the quarterfinal by beating Anna Kalinskaya 6-4, 6-2 in the round of 16. The quarterfinal loss extended Pegula’s head-to-head advantage over Navarro to 5-0, including a win over her last month in Cincinnati.

Sabalenka’s path to the semifinal

Pegula’s next opponent needs little introduction. Sabalenka is the world No. 1 and two-time defending US Open champion, and she reached this year’s semifinal by beating Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, closing out the match with a second-serve ace. It is Sabalenka’s sixth straight US Open semifinal, and she is seeking a third consecutive US Open title.

Pegula and Sabalenka’s rivalry

Thursday’s match is not new ground for either player. Sabalenka beat Pegula in the 2024 US Open final — Pegula’s only Grand Slam singles final appearance, and she has never won a major title — and beat her again in last year’s US Open semifinal. Sabalenka holds the edge in their rivalry overall, but Pegula has won two of their last three meetings, including a semifinal win over Sabalenka at the Berlin tournament this June. Pegula lost that event’s final to another opponent, finishing runner-up in Berlin this season.

Pegula’s career season

Her win over Navarro was her 50th match win of 2026, the most of any player on the WTA Tour this year. She has also reached five tour finals this season — more than anyone else on tour — winning titles in Dubai and Charleston and finishing runner-up in Cincinnati, Washington and Berlin.

Off the court

Pegula is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, the billionaire couple who own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres.

When is the semifinal

The Pegula-Sabalenka semifinal is set for 7 p.m. ET Thursday, September 10, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, airing on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. It’s a rematch of the 2024 US Open final and the pair’s second straight semifinal meeting; Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 9-4, with their last four meetings all going the distance to three sets.