Jessica Pegula was given little chance to challenge Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 US Open final, but she did and was left very annoyed after losing in two sets.
Pegula was the underdog heading into the 2024 US Open final. As well as she had played, Sabalenka simply looked on another level and was the player who had won a major title before.
History matters in tennis, and having the experience of winning a Grand Slam is hugely important. The experience proved crucial for the Belarusian player, who didn't panic even when things didn't go well for her.
She started slowly in the match but fought back to win the opening set. She then threw away a 3-0 lead in the second, finding herself down 3-5, but didn't panic and kept battling to win it 7-5 and the match 2-0.
After the match, Pegula spoke to the media in a level-headed tone. She didn't seem overly devastated but more annoyed that she couldn't quite capitalize on her chances.
She was proud of how she battled and the level of tennis she showed because it seemed impossible to challenge Sabalenka at Flushing Meadows this year, and she did.
"Super-tough match today. Obviously, I would love to be in a third set right now, but I guess relatively speaking, happy that I was able to at least get my chances to win a set, considering I was down in the first and in the second."
"So I was able to find some good tennis. Just wasn’t quite able to sustain it. Congrats to her. I think she played some big tennis in some big moments."
The overwhelming feeling was obviously annoyance because she didn't do what she wanted to do. Yes, it was a great event for the American, but overall, in that first moment, she was mostly annoyed, even though she will likely be less so after all the emotions wear off.
"I’m just annoyed I lost right now. Everyone is like, Congrats, amazing tournament. I’m like, Eh, whatever. I think maybe once I decompress a little bit, I’m sure I will be a little bit more appreciative and see all of that. At some point."
There are positives to take from this run for Pegula because she's played superb tennis. If she can find this level more consistently, Pegula will find herself challenging for trophies weekly and even at Grand Slams.
She's been the third-best player on the WTA Tour behind Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in terms of consistency for a while.
"If I can’t take confidence from this, there’s got to be something wrong. I think I’ve taken confidence from winning a 250, from winning a 1000, from being able to win another 1000. Multiple ones now."
"Then to be able to be a Grand Slam finalist, I think that was kind of the last thing for me, right, was I made a lot of quarter-finals but can I make a semi, can I be a contender to actually win a Grand Slam."
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