Sixth-ranked Pegula of the United States bravely overcame a set and a break down to defeat her 52nd-ranked opponent from the Czech Republic 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, as per AFP.
World No. 2 and two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka defeated Emma Navarro, another American, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to advance to her second straight US Open final.
“I thought I was lucky to still be in it,” admitted Pegula.
“She made me look like a beginner, she was destroying me and I was about to burst into tears but it all came down to small moments. I don’t know how I turned that around.”
During the US summer hard court circuit, Pegula has now won 15 of 16 games, including a Toronto triumph and a Cincinnati final loss to Sabalenka.
“It’s a chance for revenge, but she’ll be tough to beat,” said Pegula.
Playing in her maiden Grand Slam semifinal following six heartbreaking quarterfinal losses, Pegula appeared hopeless at one point on Thursday.
In just 28 minutes, the 30-year-old lost the first set. In the second, he soon fell down 2-0 and needed to save a break point to prevent falling behind 3-0.
That was the signal for many fans to depart Arthur Ashe Stadium, unwilling to watch the United States lose twice in as many days.
But in the tumultuous aftermath of an exciting semifinal match, Pegula reached deep to ignite an amazing comeback, winning eight of the final ten games.
Muchova lost the match after making her 40th unforced error.
‘Too late to cheer for me’
Sabalenka defeated Navarro and the biased home crowd earlier on Thursday to go to the final.
While competing in her maiden major semifinal match, Navarro lost the second set 3-5 but came back strong to take the match to a tiebreak.
The 23-year-old American received 13 wins out of 34 that Sabalenka sent down.
“Guys, now you’re cheering for me. Wow. It’s a bit too late,” Sabalenka told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
“It really means a lot and even though you guys were supporting her still I had the goose bumps for you cheering. It was an incredible atmosphere.”
The Belarusian added: “I don’t really care who I face in the final because today was a good test of the crowd cheering for my opponent. I don’t care. I’m ready to face whoever.”
Navarro, who had lost in the opening set of her two prior US Open outings, acknowledged that she might have been taken aback by the situation.
“Maybe I didn’t deal with it 100% the way I wanted to throughout the match, but it’s a feeling that I’ll definitely be seeking again,” she said.
Navarro’s astute use of the angles was undone by Sabalenka, who finished second to US player Coco Gauff in New York last year, who relied on her sheer strength to win the opening set.
Despite the American canceling out an early break, the 26-year-old took the lead once more in the sixth game and went on to win 16 games in total, which is twice as many as Navarro, to secure the opening match.
In the second set, Sabalenka broke to take a 3-2 lead. Navarro had to save more break points to prevent falling down 2-5.
This gave her challenge fresh energy, and when her opponent served to tie the match, she broke Sabalenka, bringing the score to 5-5.
In the tiebreak, she even had a little break before Sabalenka came storming back to win.
