WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula will meet in the US Open women's singles final.
Sixth-seeded American Pegula rallied past Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday, and is set to make her first appearance in a Grand Slam final.
"It's amazing. It's a childhood dream. It's what I wanted when I was a kid. It's a lot of work, a lot of hard work put in. You couldn't even imagine how much goes into it," said Pegula.
"It would mean the world to me, obviously. I'm just happy to be in a final, but obviously I come here to want to win the title," she added.
Meanwhile, Sabalenka beat American Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (2).
The Belarusian also reached the tournament's final in 2023, ultimately losing to American player Coco Gauff.
Reflecting on her experience last year, Sabalenka said, "I've had really tough moments here in the past. I wasn't ready then, and I got emotional, unable to handle the crowd. But I still hope to hold that beautiful trophy."
Sabalenka has emerged victorious in five of her past seven encounters with Pegula, and has already captured this year's Australian Open title after defeating China's Zheng Qinwen. ■
