Jessica Pegula is on the brink of her first major semifinal at the US Open

NEW YORK — Jessica Pegula‘s US Open run started in tears.

Tasked with playing her longtime friend Shelby Rogers in the first round, Pegula knew it would be emotional no matter what happened. Rogers had announced that the tournament would be her final one before retiring, and after Pegula had secured the straight-sets win, the weight of the moment seemed to hit.

“We grew up playing juniors together, grew up in the same section, and it’s really crazy,” Pegula, the No. 6 seed, said on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium as she cried.

Pegula had previously told reporters that she simply couldn’t believe some of her peers were ending their careers. And, considering the success Pegula has had recently, it makes sense why she would think that. While tennis is filled with teenage prodigies and young 20-somethings emerging as superstars, Pegula didn’t advance to her first major quarterfinals until she was 26. She was 27 when she cracked the top 20 for the first time.

And now, at 30, Pegula is on the brink of her first Slam semifinal. Retirement is the last thing on her mind. On Monday, with the support of the rowdy holiday crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Pegula defeated No. 18 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2. After advancing to the seventh major quarterfinal of her career, Pegula is hoping this will be the tournament in which she can take it one step further, or more.

“Well, I always say I just need to win a match to get to the semis and then that’ll solve everything, right?” Pegula said during her on-court interview Monday when asked about what it would take to advance. “But I mean, it doesn’t really matter to me. I mean, every match is every match. I’ve always played it like that. It just so happens to be quarterfinals. “But at the same time, to be able to say I’ve been in that position many, many times is great. So I just have to keep putting myself there and keep trying to play my game. And it’s one point at a time when you’re out there.”

Of course, getting to Thursday’s semifinal won’t be easy.

Pegula first must get through world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, the winner of five major titles, including the 2022 US Open, on Wednesday. The two have met nine times on tour, with Swiatek holding a 6-3 edge. But Pegula beat Swiatek in the 2023 Canadian Open semifinals — a tournament Pegula went on to win — so she knows it’s possible. Daunting, but…