Iga Swiatek, world number one player, was left frustrated after losing the US Open quarter final against Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. After the loss, the Poland player was seen smashing her racquet in anger against the top of the net and slapping her right thigh. The moment was caught on camera and the video is going viral on the internet.
Ahead of the match, Pegula had a 0-6 record against Swiatek. However, in the US Open Quarter final, the former won the game very easily. After the game, the American player said, “There have been so many freaking times, and I just kept losing. I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I was like, I don’t know what else to do. I just need to get there again and, like, win the match.’ So thank God I was able to do it. And finally — finally! — I can say, semifinalist.”
Swiatek said, “It’s never easy to play against Jess. She has a tricky ball because it’s pretty low and pretty flat. I just made too many mistakes. I didn’t really understand why my serve wasn’t working. I feel like when I have high expectations, I never perform well. (But) it’s hard to have low expectations when everybody is expecting something from you”.
Pegula will face Karolina Muchova (unseeded) in the semifinals. The latter finished as runners up in the 2023 US Open and has qualified for the semis in the ongoing tournament. On the other hand, after beating the world number one player, Pegula will be high on confidence and must be eyeing to lift the title in front of her home crowd.