Unsatisfied Jessica Pegula falls to Iga Swiatek at US Open, in third Slam quarterfinal loss of season to a world No. 1

No Limit NYC: Jessica Pegula talks wings and bagels with Prakash Amritraj

NEW YORK—The proud, athletic embodiment of Buffalo, N.Y. took on the world’s best Wednesday evening, with a hint of autumn in early September air. That will happen again, on the gridiron, tomorrow night when the Bills face the Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles.

And for Bills Mafia, they can only hope that the result on the football field is different from what transpired on the tennis court.

Despite losing serve six times in two sets, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek prevailed in straight sets over a not overmatched, but not consistent enough Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Pegula walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium with a three-set victory over Swiatek in their first meeting, three summers ago, but having lost the subsequent four sets they’d contested—all this year, in the Miami semis and the Roland Garros quarters. She sported headphones, which blocked out somewhat louder cheers for Swiatek—at least in the onset—despite Pegula’s status as the top-ranked American.

If you somehow needed a reminder that Queens isn’t the Queen City of the Great Lakes, there you go.

“It means everything, it’s so much sweeter when it’s at home,” said the 28-year-old world No. 8 before her entrance. “I’m just going to have to play every point really tough.”

On the court, it was a battle of experience versus excellence: Swiatek, just 21 but already a two-time Roland Garros champion, had already secured a career-best run at Flushing Meadows. But after amassing a 37-match win streak this season that included hard-court titles in Doha, Indian Wells and Miami—not to mention an Australian Open semifinal finish earlier this year—her path to a title is viable, if not expected. Pegula, for all of her recent success, had won just one tour-level title coming into the Open, and had yet to reach the semifinals of a Slam.

It was also a battle of flat versus spin, Pegula opting to take the initiative against Swiatek’s world-class groundstrokes with heavier shots traveling the shortest distance. With both players connecting well from the start, the stylistic contrast led to some breathtaking baseline rallies—and a tension that each player must have felt, knowing that each game was valuable.

After four holds and an exchange of breaks, Swiatek stabilized with a comfortable hold. The ensuing service game was anything but for Pegula, who was broken at love after a double fault and a deep backhand.

Serving for the set at 5-3, Swiatek ended the game with a backhand—this one singeing the blue portion of the playing surface, leaving Pegula only able to watch it dart by.

"I just made a few stupid errors," Pegula said about the first set. "She started playing a little bit better. I was just going for too much. The games kind of flew by, went really quickly. Next thing I knew, I lost the set 6-3."

The second set began inauspiciously for Pegula, with her first two balls landing in the net. At 15-30, Swiatek showed that her court coverage was as sublime as her shotmaking, tracking down a fine Pegula ball and instantly turning defense to offense. Quickly, it was 1-0. But three breaks later, one thing was clear: both players’ tactics were effective; it was a matter of who could get closer inside the court to impose a greater will.

But it was also apparent that Pegula’s pre-match words—“I’m just going to have to play every point really tough”—were, if anything, an understatement. Swiatek made every game a battle, ceding little ground and forcing Pegula to hit bigger and quicker.

Serving at 3-3, 0-30, Pegula had open court to aim at, and her forehand with which to do it. She netted the ball, and threw her racquet on the court. On the next point, Pegula hit a ball long—and then hit one much longer, out of frustration, into a luxury box.

"It's hard with her because she moves so well, so you know you have to move in and try and dictate the point as well," said Pegula, when asked if she had to redline it against the relentless Swiatek. "Then you don't want to make those easy unforced errors that she kind of forces you to make with her movement.

"I don't know. It's a balance. I don't know. When I figure it out, hopefully I'll win next time."

Impressively, Pegula bounced right back with a service break. Even though Pegula couldn’t hold serve—she was broken five times in the second set—she was still playing points tough. So much so that Swiatek was also broken five times in the set, and twice when serving for the match.

"Yeah, both of us, like, couldn't hold," said Pegula. "It was pretty crazy there for a while. I don't know if we were just returning well and not serving great or what."

The question then became: who would earn enough mini breaks to leave the opponent no time to respond? In the end, Swiatek proved too much—on return and even on serve.

Earning a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak, Swiatek watched Pegula smack a backhand down the line for a winner. Now it was 5-4 to the Pole, with two serves—hardly a sure thing, of course. But after carefully assessing the ball bounce after a Pegula defensive stab lob fell from the sky, Swiatek put the point away for two match points. She only needed one.

"I'm super proud of myself," said Swiatek on court. "Playing against the top players in the world—I remember when I was an underdog, and any match was pretty surreal. Right now it feels a little bit like a routine.

"I think any of us could win any tournament. Anybody's a really dangerous opponent, especially Jessica with her consistency."

At the Slams this season, Pegula might feel too consistent, having reached three quarterfinals, but unable to win a set once there. That being said, her opponent in each match was the world No. 1 and—thus far—the eventual champion.

"Honestly, I don't know," a candid Pegula told press, with a Heineken in her hand ("I'm trying to pee for doping," she explained, "Although it does help ease the loss.") "I go back and forth. Oh, I should be positive. At the same time I'm like, Fuck, three quarterfinals. Sorry, but it sucks. It sucks.

"I wish I could have done it here at my home Slam, but I guess not."