Jessica Pegula will eventually reflect on her achievements from the past month, including reaching her first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open. She will likely feel pleased and proud about what she has accomplished.
However, it was hard for her to see this right after her 7-5, 7-5 loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the final match on Saturday night.
“Everyone is congratulating me and saying it was an amazing tournament, but I’m just like, ‘Eh, whatever,’” said Pegula, a 30-year-old American who had never advanced past the quarterfinals in a major before.
“I think once I have a chance to relax a bit, I’ll probably feel more appreciative and see the positives.”
Pegula will move up from No. 6 to No. 3 in the WTA rankings on Monday, matching her career high, after a successful period on North American hard courts. This includes a win in Toronto and runner-up finishes at both the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open.
During this time, she had a 15-2 record, with both losses coming against No. 2 Sabalenka. Pegula mentioned that she would eventually gain confidence from this experience, but at the moment, she was focused on what she could have done better.
Pegula had previously lost in the quarterfinals of majors six times before defeating No. 1 Iga Swiatek in that round this time. She also won her semifinal match after coming back from what she called an “embarrassing” first set to defeat Karolina Muchova in three sets.
