Jessica Pegula makes light work of Barbora Krejcikova to reach US Open semi-finals

Jessica Pegula has had a poor few months but peaking at the right time will erase all of that as she is again into the semi-finals of the US Open and she will have the opportunity to defend her final run from last year.

Pegula previously until last year couldn't get past a major Quarter-Final but she has done it again as she saw off Krejcikova 6-3, 6-3 who is part of a tandem of resurgent Czech stars including Karolina Muchova and Marketa Vondrousova who have also got to this point at the US Open.

The American now faces off against potentially Aryna Sabalenka in a repeat of their final from last year and if she manages to get past the Belarusian or indeed Vondrousova, it could be the biggest obstacle averted.

In the bottom half, it is Muchova v Osaka and Anisimova v Swiatek so very much a fan friendly affair when it comes to those left with not a lot of shocks and every player is at least a major semi-finalist as a trend has been broken.

Against Krejcikova, Pegula was handed the early impetus. She found a superb forehand winner to move 30-0 up. Krejcikova then missed an overhead and appeared to lose flight of the ball in the sun and double faulted handing Pegula a break. Zoned in, Pegula pushed for a double break but Krejcikova wasn't too much in a giving mood again as she saved with an ace down the middle for 3-1 down.

Pegula surges through

Krejcikova's serve though continued to be an issue as she was serving under 50% and Pegula brought up another break point but again it was saved for the second game on the spin to hold at 4-2 and stay in touch. Krejcikova then broke herself for 4-3. A sloppy game from the American saw her double fault followed by backhand and forehand errors.

But the swing-o-meter went back in her favour as Krejcikova double faulted at 30-30 and then put a backhand into the net. Pegula sealed a break back at 5-3 and then sealed a 6-3 first set.

It was very much the Pegula show again from here. She has won 17/18 of the matches when she has taken the first set and this increased as she broke in the opening game of the second set. Two double faults confounded the Krejcikova misery as she looks to have hit a wall in pursuit of a semi-final spot.

That wall continued as Pegula went 2-1 up and she staved off a break point from Krejcikova and after making a double fault she roared into a 3-1 lead. A big moment then came as despite having a tetchy end to the game, Pegula managed to break again for 4-1. Krejcikova missed a forehand and Pegula took her chance on the third chance of a break point. Krejcikova went long and it was a double break for Pegula.