WATCH: Jessica Pegula sips Heineken in press conference after US Open defeat

WATCH: Pegula had plenty of fun in NYC, grabbing bagels with Prakash Amritraj earlier in the week.

NEW YORK—Jessica Pegula brought liquid courage to her final US Open press conference of the year and became instantly iconic as she sipped a can of Heineken from the dais.

The move earned rave review from fellow players, Paula Badosa commenting "idol" on Instagram and Ellen Perez quote-tweeting "queen things."

“I'm trying to pee for doping,” the American confirmed after a quarterfinal defeat to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. “Although it does help ease the loss.”

Pegula indeed came agonizingly close to a first Grand Slam semifinal on Wednesday, pushing Swiatek tough through two sets, but tried to take positives from what has otherwise been a breakout season.

“It was great,” she said. “Awesome. It was super awesome. Especially when I kept breaking to come back in the set, I could really feel their energy. I really wanted to get to a third for them. I guess just wasn't in the cards.

“But it was really fun to play at night. It was fun to see all the celebrities and all the people they kept showing between the changeovers. Was pretty cool.”

Hopes for an American champion now fall to Frances Tiafoe, with whom Pegula shares a special friendship.

“I was like asking about a couple of his matches,” she explained. “I'm pretty, like, candid, I don't know what the word is. I'd be like, ‘Yeah, you were up like 4-0 against Fritz in the third. Like what happened?’ He's like, ‘Oh, my God, why are you asking it like that?’ I didn't realize he played that night in Cincy or something. I was like, ‘Oh, shoot, I probably shouldn't have said it like that.’

“I'm always kind of on him: ‘Can you win a match, like, normal and not be like this whole theatrical event?’ I always give him crap.

"It's amazing to see how he has played so much more focused even though he had a couple tough matches in Montréal and Cincinnati and all this stuff. I was like, ‘You're playing so much better. It's coming. It's just coming for that one match.’ It came here at the US Open, so it's really nice to see.”

Pegula plots to have more to celebrate by season’s end, aiming to trade beer for champagne with a maiden berth at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.