Gauff and Pegula coming for Big Three at US Open

Victory is a habit right now for Pegula, who has won eight of 10 hard-court matches so far during the North American summer swing. 

The 29-year-old is one of the tour’s most consistent players, and what’s more, this consistency is coming on the biggest stages. 

In the past 15 months, she has appeared in three WTA 1000 finals, winning two. Since the beginning of 2021, she is averaging over 40 match wins per season, and has beaten 14 top-10 players.

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In that same span, she has also reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals. Given how close she came to her first major semifinal this year at Wimbledon, motivation will be high when she arrives in New York. 

Pegula’s progress is proving an inspiration to her friend and doubles partner Gauff, who has won 11 of her 12 matches, including 22 of 26 sets.  

Gauff swatted aside three top-20 players – Belinda Bencic, Liudmila Samsonova and Maria Sakkari – to win in Washington DC. In Cincinnati, she beat Roland Garros finalists Swiatek and Karolina Muchova in back-to-back matches to claim her fourth title of the season.

The teenager’s win over Swiatek was a breakthrough, her first over the world No.1 in eight meetings. One of those prior defeats came in the 2022 Roland Garros final, her best result to date at a major.

Gauff’s form spike coincides with more stability and trust in her forehand, better footwork around the ball when in attacking positions, and a revitalised coaching set-up featuring Pere Riba and consultant Brad Gilbert.  

After a shock first-round loss at Wimbledon just over six weeks ago, she now appears a transformed player.