Jessica Pegula Becomes First Player to Reach 4 Grand Slam Semifinals After Turning 30

By reaching the US Open semifinals on Wednesday, Pegula became the first player in the Open Era to reach her first four career Grand Slam semifinals after turning 30 years old.

A Record Four Semifinals After 30

Pegula made her first major semifinal at the 2024 US Open, just a few months after turning 30 years old. This run ended in her first career Grand Slam final, an eventual 7-5, 7-5 loss to Aryna Sabalenka. She returned to the US Open semifinals the following year in 2025, falling once again to Sabalenka 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Her third semifinal came at this year’s Australian Open, where Elena Rybakina beat her 6-3, 7-6(7) in a tight, hour-and-40-minute battle. She reached a record fourth semifinal after 30 this week with a comeback win over fellow American Emma Navarro, rallying from a set down and a break down in the third to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. This also marked her third consecutive US Open semifinal.

Pegula, now 32, has been candid about how long the road to this point has felt. “I’ve been [into major quarterfinals] so many friggin’ times,” she said earlier this year after finally breaking through to her first Australian Open semifinal. “I just kept losing, but to great players, I mean, to girls that went on and won the tournament... So I know everyone keeps asking me about it, but I don't know what else to do. I just need to get there again and win the match.”

Pegula’s Persistent Career

Injuries have been a constant obstacle throughout Pegula's career, making the record even more impressive. She dealt with a knee injury that sidelined her from late 2013 to early 2015 and required surgery, followed by a January 2017 hip surgery that cost her most of that season. These setbacks pushed her championship-level results later into her career than most of her peers.

Pegula is also the oldest U.S. woman in the Open Era to reach her first major singles final, a record she set back in 2024.

This year alone, Pegula has been one of the most consistent players on tour, entering this week’s semifinal with a 50-12 record and two titles on the season at Dubai and Charleston. Her run through the North American hard-court swing included final appearances in both Washington and Cincinnati, momentum she carried into the US Open. Despite falling a bit short of her first Grand Slam title, Pegula has still played a phenomenal season.

Racing Against the Clock

Pegula’s fourth semifinal appearance set her up for a third straight meeting with Sabalenka at the same exact stage of the US Open, a matchup she entered with a 4-9 career record against the world No. 1. The result brings up a big question that’s followed her for the past year: how much time does she actually have left to win a Grand Slam?

Pegula has made it clear that her career won’t stretch on forever, telling the Tennis Insider Club podcast that she doesn’t plan to play past 35 and has floated the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a possible final tournament. At 32, with her fourth semifinal now in the books and still no major title to show for it, every deep run from here carries the same stakes for Pegula.

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