The pinnacle of Jessica Pegula's 15-year tennis career came Wednesday night, when she took down top-ranked Iga Swiatek to advance to the US Open semifinal. The 30-year-old American had never made so deep a run at a Grand Slam tournament.
Just 24 hours later, a new pinnacle was reached, as Pegula overcame a tough first set to punch her ticket to Saturday's final.
One more opponent stands in the way of Pegula and a piece of history. She is facing Aryna Sabalenka for the US Open crown, seeking to become the second consecutive American woman to win the tournament.
Regardless of the result, Pegula's US Open journey has been a special one. The daughter of Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, she's endeared the American fans in Flushing Meadows and could make memories for a lifetime with a victory over two-time Grand Slam champion Sabalenka.
Here's a look at Pegula's Grand Slam history, including her best finishes in tennis' biggest events.
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Has Jessica Pegula won a Grand Slam?
Pegula has not won a Grand Slam title. In fact, she had never gotten past the quarterfinals in any major tournament until her upset win over Swiatek on Wednesday.
The moment didn't seem to overwhelm Pegula on Thursday, as she quickly recovered after falling behind against Karolina Muchova to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time in her career.
A crowning moment has been inching closer for Pegula, as she reached the quarterfinals six times in a Grand Slam from 2021-23. She didn't win a single one of those quarterfinal matches until Wednesday, and she proved Thursday that the win was no aberration.
After years of knocking on the door, Pegula has already done something she's never done before. She still needs one final win to finish the job and secure her place in US Open history.
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Jessica Pegula Grand Slam history
Pegula turned professional in 2009, but she didn't make it past the qualifying stage of any Grand Slam event until 2015 and didn't make it past the second round until 2020.
Here's Pegula's complete Grand Slam history by year:
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open |
| 2011 | — | — | — | QU |
| 2012 | — | — | — | QU |
| 2013 | QU | QU | QU | — |
| 2014 | — | — | — | — |
| 2015 | — | QU | QU | R2 |
| 2016 | QU | QU | QU | R1 |
| 2017 | — | — | — | QU |
| 2018 | — | — | — | QU |
| 2019 | — | R1 | R1 | R1 |
| 2020 | R1 | R1 | — | R3 |
| 2021 | QF | R3 | R2 | R3 |
| 2022 | QF | QF | R3 | QF |
| 2023 | QF | R3 | QF | RF |
| 2024 | R2 | — | R2 | F* |
QU — Eliminated in qualifying
* — In progress
It's not especially common for tennis players to emerge as late as Pegula did, but all she's done since turning professional is gradually improve on some of the sport's most prominent stages. A win at the US Open would give Pegula unmistakable proof of that progress.
