I just have to tell myself to all the negatives to shut up and just play tennis and compete and fight and think there and try to solve the problems as best I can.
Navarro took a 2-0 lead in the deciding set. Pegula immediately bounced back and didn’t lose another game on her own serve, her groundstrokes finally landing where they hadn’t for an hour. It was the meeting on which he built his career. Since the start of the decade, no WTA Tour player has won more matches from the bottom of 48 or more in three sets, 90.
At 32, he’s having the best season of his life. It was her 50th win in 2026 and she is the only woman to reach that mark this year. It is his fourth Grand Slam semi-final and all four have come on hard courts. She is also the fifth player aged 30 or older in the Open Era to reach three or more consecutive US Open quarterfinals, following Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Flavia Pennetta and Serena Williams.
Pegula was out of the last eight: Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2, American Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1, Canadian No. 31 Leila Fernandez – 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, and Romanian No. 16 – 6-3, and A. The quarterfinals of the US Open when Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams in 2015.
When asked what it took to make it to thirty, he offered method rather than quality. “I think it’s just a lot of confidence. I really love playing this game and challenging myself every day to become better. I think I do a great job of having a short-term memory, so I know that every time I go out, no matter what, I just have to tell myself all the negatives to shut up and just play tennis and compete and fight and think out there and try to solve it as best I can.”
Ranked 27th and in the fourth quarter-final of the “Grand Slam”, Navarro defeated France’s Lois Boisson 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 6-3, American Katie McNally 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, Czech Republic’s 7th seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 7-4, 7-3. Russia’s Anna Muchova 6-3, 7-4-1 6-2, Muchova wins her eighth over a top 10 opponent. He has now lost all five of his matches against Pegula.
The semifinals are the last three years New York has made. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the 2024 final and again in the 2025 semi-final to take a 9-4 lead against them. Pegula won the last match on the grass in Berlin this season. The Belarusian No. 1 reached this stage with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (7) win over Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and must win the title to retain her world No. 1 ranking.
US Open 2026, Men’s Singles Quarterfinals
A. Sabalenka (1) d. L. Noskova (6): 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7)
J. Pegula (3) d. E. Navarro (26): 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
M. Andreeva (5) vs C. Gauff (4) – did not play
Q. Zheng (Q) vs E. Rybakina (2) – did not play
