Aryna-Serena! Although a homophonic pair of names but with a completely different history. The crowd had a big laugh when Jessica Pegula mistook the pronunciation of Aryna Sabalenka for that of “Serena”. However, as the final showdown commenced, the 30-year-old was forced to admit that the levels of dominance she faced against “the Tiger” were nothing less than that of the American tennis great.
Monday in Cincinnati turned out to be a tough day for Jessica Pegula as she faced a dominant Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Despite her best efforts, the American WTA star couldn’t find a way past the Belarusian powerhouse, eventually facing a defeat with a final scoreline of 6-3, 7-5. Along with breaking Pegula’s commendable 9-match win streak, the Tiger also made her admit to the core levels of her dominance.
The 30-year-old graciously accepted the runner-up trophy and therefore reflected on the lighthearted moment from the semi-final post-match interview. “Funny, Andrew [Krasny] said Aryna, and I thought he said Serena, but it felt like Serena today with the way you were serving there for a little bit, so I don’t know, I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna [laughs],” Pegula joked, as she acknowledged Sabalenka’s powerful serves in the match, which according to her were comparable to that of Serena Williams.
This humorous exchange was a continuation of an earlier conversation that took place when Pegula defeated Paula Badosa to secure her spot in the final. When asked about her thoughts on facing Sabalenka in the post-match interview, Pegula paused, looking a bit startled, before saying, “Erm, I thought you said Serena.” Krasny then playfully added, “Yeah, so here’s a surprise, ladies and gentlemen, Serena…” to which Pegula laughed and responded, “I mean, you never know.”
As Sabalenka attained a 6-3, 5-3 lead in the last set, her serve stats came were commendable. She managed to secure a remarkable number by winning 27 out of 29 first-serve points, which makes it an impressive 93.1% success rate. Even Tennis Channel’s Lindsay Davenport could not stop herself from appreciating Sabalenka’s dominance. “I’m not sure anyone can withstand this when a player is playing this well,” she said. This statement was also influenced by top-ranked Iga Swiatek’s 6-3, 6-3 defeat to Sabalenka in the semifinals.
