Emma Navarro took the first set from Jessica Pegula in their U.S. Open quarterfinal on Sept. 9, seizing the early edge in a match that had already shifted pressure onto the No. 3 seed. Navarro, ranked 26, gave herself a live chance to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows by winning the opening set and forcing Pegula to play from behind.
The result is why Navarro Vs Pegula is drawing attention now: the quarterfinal round was underway at the 2026 U.S. Open, and this was one of the marquee women’s matches on the schedule. Pegula had been steadier on serve as the set wore on and held more comfortably, but she still had already dropped the opener, which left her needing a response rather than a reset.
That early set mattered because it changed the shape of the match without ending it. Navarro had taken control just enough to make Pegula chase, while Pegula’s improved serving showed she could settle in even as the scoreboard stayed against her. In a major where one loose stretch can decide everything, the first set was not a footnote; it was the leverage point.
Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed, knocked off Linda Nosková, the No. 6 seed, in a tense three-set match, and Frances Tiafoe rallied past Alex Michelsen in five sets after winning a deciding tiebreak. Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton were scheduled to play later, keeping the day packed with high-stakes matches as the round moved on.
For Navarro, the job was only half done. The set she had already banked gave her the advantage, but the next phase would decide whether that fast start became a statement win or just the opening chapter of a longer fight.
