U.S. Open 2024: Jessica Pegula's quest to win a Grand Slam is running out of time
Jessica Pegula returns a ball hit by Sofia Kenin in their second-round match during the 2024 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's Luis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday. Credit: Errol Anderson
The chant sounded a lot like one commonly heard on the other side of the 7 train tracks at Citi Field.
“Let’s go, Jess! Let’s go, Jess!” yelled a group of fans in the filled-to-capacity Louis Armstrong Stadium Thursday afternoon.
“Jess” is Jessica Pegula, a fan favorite as a 30-year-old American whose long quest for Grand Slam glory has made her into a sympathetic figure at the U.S. Open.
That sort of underdog fondness is particularly impressive given that her parents, Terry and Kim, are multi-billionaires and that she openly roots for her hometown Buffalo Bills, an AFC East rival of the Jets in these parts.
OK, fine, she has a good excuse, in that her family owns the Bills.
Still, the point here is that Pegula is a likable figure who could become one of the best stories of this Open if she can make a deep run at last.
She won her second-round match against fellow American Sofia Kenin, 7-6 (4), 6-3, and will next play Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Saturday.
But reaching the third round is not the problem. She has done that five times in a row in Flushing. She got to the quarterfinals in 2022.
In fact, she has reached the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once, three times at the Australian Open.
Her record in those quarterfinals: 0-6.
For a player whose world ranking peaked at No. 3 and currently is No. 6, one would think the law of averages would by now have allowed her at least to reach a final four. But no.
Pegula missed time earlier this year with a neck injury, but she has been hot. She won a hardcourt event in Toronto and has won 11 of her last 12 matches.
So maybe this will be the year? That would be a good idea. The sports clock is ticking. Did we mention she is 30?
Before the tournament began, Pegula said, “It would be frickin’ awesome if I won a Grand Slam. I definitely allow myself to dream. I always have since I was a kid.”
If she plays like she did on Thursday, she should have a shot.
Kenin, a former Australian Open champion and French Open finalist, led Pegula 2-0 in the first set, 2-0 in the first-set tiebreaker and 2-0 in the second set. Pegula came back every time.
Down 3-4 and 15-40 in the first set, she slammed her racket to the ground in frustration. Then she ripped off four points in a row to get herself back on track.
“I was very [ticked] off,” she said later. She is not a fiery player on the court, but she said picking her spots can help.
“I like to just kind of get it out of my system and then it’s like OK, right back, on to the next point,” she said. “As long as I can do that, sometimes it’s good to show a little bit of emotion. I knew that was a big moment.”
Kenin was impressed. Asked whether she is surprised Pegula has not reached a major semifinal, she said, “There’s a very good chance she will win a Slam and win this tournament.”
Pegula certainly does not come off like a pampered rich kid. A widely shared video showed her taking the subway to Queens this week for a practice session.
After her first-round defeat of American Shelby Rogers — a close friend who is retiring after this event — Pegula started crying when talking about Rogers during a post-match interview. Rogers came onto the court to give her a hug.
Pegula and Kenin packed Armstrong to the point that a crowd of people gathered outside the main entrance arguing with event officials to be let in, but there was nowhere to put them.
Fans inside cheered for both Americans. But more for Pegula.
“I think because I’ve been pretty stable [as a contender] the past few years, I do feel like there’s maybe a little more support this year, which is nice,” Pegula said. “It’s cool to know that people actually have followed me for years.”
There is a rocky path ahead. If both Pegula and No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek win two more matches, they will face one another.
In the quarterfinals, of course.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
