US OPEN

September 10, 2026

Jessica Pegula

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/J. Pegula

7-5, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Jess, how would you describe what you saw from Aryna tonight?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, I think that's definitely -- you can ask her -- probably the best match she's played this year. I mean, I thought her level was insanely high.

Maybe she felt a little bit off at the beginning, but I feel like we were both playing well, serving well. Then, yeah, I don't know who pissed her off today, but she -- 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.

Q. Jess, tough match. She seems like that kind of player, though. Like in the first set, you were playing at a really high level. It seems like almost sometimes there's nothing you can really do if she's on her game.

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, that's what it felt like today. I mean, I think I had some chances, and then it just seemed like she kept finding ways to hit some really good shots on big points, good second serves.

I mean, I know she double-faulted maybe a few times, but still, she was hitting like the back of the lines on her second serves, pushing me back. I honestly don't know if she missed a backhand the entire match. Like, I really want to check. I don't think she missed a backhand. Maybe a few backhand returns at the beginning, and then she just dialed it in.

Even the break point, I hit a good return, and she just rips a forehand cross. Yeah, it was rough today.

Yeah, I did my best. I thought I didn't play bad. I think I've actually played worse against her before, but I think that level was probably the highest I've seen from her, considering I don't think I played bad at all.

Q. It felt like Aryna was able to impose herself a little bit more tonight compared to some of your previous matches. I know you mentioned some of the things like stronger second serves and things of that nature, but can you speak to some other aspects of why that was the case that Aryna was able to take more control of the points, it seemed like?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, I think she wanted to. Probably that's her game plan. You know, she doesn't want to ever feel like the other person is really dictating. You know, she's much better, I think, playing her first one-two strike tennis, serve, return, return, next ball. That's what she does best.

I think I've been playing pretty well, and I think maybe in the past I have been able to move her a bit more, but I think her goal, I don't know if it was today, but was just to not let me control the points.

She did a very good job of that, especially off serve, return, first ball. Also hit some really insane angles off of both sides as well.

Q. How does it affect your experience of losing a big match if you go down to someone who plays, as you said, an insanely high level?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I'm honestly not that upset, to be honest, because I don't really think there was much I could have done today. I mean, we joked with her team. We're, like, Do you like us? Like, we're good people (laughing). We're pretty nice to you guys. Do you think that maybe, like, one day she could be maybe off a little bit, so I could just, like, get a chance (smiling).

That was pretty much our attitude after the match, because like I said, she played an insanely high level, I think probably one of her better matches this year, for sure.

Yeah, that was it. It didn't feel like there was a lot -- I, of course, tried to stick around to see if the level would go off, but it seemed like it just got better as the match went on.

Q. Your last set against her, 6-0 in Berlin, so I guess what was working there that I guess she had shored up?

JESSICA PEGULA: See, maybe that's why she was so pissed off at me today (smiling).

Well, I think grass is a bit different. I do think that it might cater my game a little bit more because I can kind of hit that lower skidding ball, and it kind of doesn't sit up as much for her.

So I think it gives her a little bit more trouble to kind of set up and go for her shots. Maybe the movement a bit. She's probably maybe not as comfortable moving on the grass as she is the hard. I'm just assuming just because all of her results have been mainly hard court.

I think that the surface probably plays a part there.

Q. I'm curious, because you have a history of bringing beverages in this room, what's in the cup?

JESSICA PEGULA: I know, I'm always at a US Open press conference trying to pee for doping, but it's just espresso, decaf espresso.

Q. Not tequila?

JESSICA PEGULA: No, I wish. Nobody offered to bring any. It's coffee this year. Yeah, it's just another night. Another loss and another trying to go to the bathroom (laughing).

Q. I know the ultimate end goal of this summer stretch is to reach the final of the US Open, but with finals in Washington and Cincinnati, do you feel overall satisfied with how the past four tournaments went?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I don't know if I'm satisfied, but I think it was a very good summer. I think that results-wise, now that Grand Slams are all over -- I mean, it's a shame -- I made two semifinals, a quarter at Wimbledon, I've had an amazing year already.

There's still stuff to look forward to. I think all the top girls are playing some great tennis, so I would still like to finish the year strong and kind of establish myself in a good spot for the year-end rankings and hopefully make WTA Finals. I have some points to defend going into Asia.

Yeah, I don't know if "satisfied" is the right word, but I'm definitely happy with the way the year has gone, and I think -- you know, my coach told me, he's, like, Remember the French Open. I lost first round. He said, You've been 22-5 since then. That's pretty impressive. Don't forget that. You were able to kind of turn around off of a really tough week and a really tough loss, in my mind, and come out of that even stronger.

I've tried to look at that and just how I've been able to bounce back from some maybe not-as-great matches for me throughout the year pretty quickly, and I think that's why I've had such a great, consistent year. Again, just going a bit deeper in slams than I have in the past is always a good thing.

Q. Congrats on another great run, Jess. I guess with another great US Open run, a good summer, good year, is there anything in particular that you are thinking about like improving your game or going back to the drawing board on, or it's just getting ready for more battles like this one?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, there's always things. I think I'm always working on my serve, working on my movement a bit, working on being more aggressive, working on coming to the net, working on slice and different shots. I mean, that's all stuff I'm always working on.

That's stuff that you always want to get a bit better. I think in my mind -- there's maybe like a few things I can think of moving forward, but yeah, I mean, we'll see. It's not quite the time. I'm playing pretty well, so I don't know if I'm really going to go and kind of change anything too much.

Just, honestly, I think at the end of the year, just trying to stay healthy and feel good to finish the year strong. But I think maybe with my coaches, there's some stuff we can go over with as far as if there are any changes or things I feel like I need to do, but right now there's nothing super glaring, I think.

Q. When Aryna is playing as she did tonight, and you described it as maybe the best match she played all year, what do you think the chances not just you have against her but anybody on the tour might have against her?

JESSICA PEGULA: I mean, I think it's a tough matchup for me, because I can't -- I almost hit the ball, like, pretty clean. So I feel like when she gets on to my ball striking, she can play at a very good level.

I'm not quite like a Rybakina where maybe I can kind of serve my way out of trouble. I mean, I didn't think I served bad tonight. I served actually really well. But I'm not quite a Rybakina where I can serve myself out of trouble, and I'm not quite a Coco that can rely on insane athleticism.

I do think the way she played tonight, I think she would have beaten anybody probably. You know, I feel like those two dynamics are something that it's tough for me, because I'm not either of those.

So I felt like you would need one of those to maybe throw her off a bit, but I don't know if that would still work, because she was still playing at an incredibly high level.

I mean, that's kind of like an unknown. I'm not sure, but I do think she probably would have beaten, like, 99% of people, I think, yeah.