Jessica Pegula falls to Aryna Sabalenka in US Open semifinal

Buffalo native Jessica Pegula's run at the 2026 U.S. Open came to an end Thursday night when she was defeated by longtime rival Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles semifinals. Sabalenka, the tournament's No. 1 seed from Belarus, defeated the third-seeded Pegula 7-5, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

Pegula falls to Sabalenka in straight sets

Pegula and Sabalenka traded holds through most of the opening set, with neither player earning many opportunities to break serve.

Serving at 5-6, Pegula was broken for the first time in the match, allowing Sabalenka to claim the opening set 7-5. Sabalenka then pulled away in the second set, breaking Pegula twice en route to a 6-2 victory and a place in the U.S. Open final.

Sabalenka finished with 29 winners and seven aces during the 80-minute match, while Pegula struck 12 winners.

The loss ended another deep U.S. Open run for Pegula, who reached the semifinals in New York for the second consecutive year.

The Buffalo native, and daughter of Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, added another Grand Slam semifinal appearance to her résumé in 2026.

Pegula also reached the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year and entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 3 in the world.

Sabalenka advances to fourth straight U.S. Open final

Thursday's result continued Sabalenka's dominance over Pegula at Flushing Meadows.

Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the 2024 U.S. Open final and again in the 2025 semifinals. The 2026 semifinal marked the third consecutive year the two players met during the tournament's final week.

"I don't know who pissed her off today," Pegula told reporters after the match. "Hopefully it wasn't me totally, but might have been. I don't know. She played insane. She played a super-high level. Honestly, I don't really know if there was much I could do today."

Sabalenka advanced to her fourth consecutive U.S. Open final and extended her winning streak at the tournament to 19 matches. She is seeking a third straight U.S. Open championship.

Sabalenka will face Elena Rybakina in the women's singles final on Saturday, Sept. 12. Rybakina advanced by defeating Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second semifinal Thursday night.

How to watch the U.S. Open women's final

The 2026 U.S. Open runs through Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York.