The Arthur Ashe Stadium broke into “Let’s go Jessie!” chants as New York native Jessica Pegula took on Ann Li on Sunday. From the get-go, the reigning finalist of the event showed that she was over her Summer mid-season slump, breezing past the fellow American opponent for a 6-1, 6-2 win in just 54 minutes to be the first quarterfinalist. But interestingly, entering this matchup, she wasn’t as confident as her game showed. Turns out, the world No.1, Aryna Sabalenka, who Pegula lost the US Open title to last year, had given her a reality check.

After her mixed doubles campaign ended in the semifinals last week, Pegula had a practice session with Sabalenka. However, the American star was completely outplayed. In her post-match interview today, Pegula revealed, “I felt terrible coming into this tournament, honestly. I had a practice on Wednesday, and I literally, like, I think I hit with Sabalenka. She just killed me.

“I was playing terrible, and then we went out for like a second hour, and I stopped like halfway through the hour and was like I’m done, like this isn’t good. Like, I don’t know why I’m out here practicing.”

Nonetheless, it has been a quick turnaround for Pegula when it mattered the most. She is yet to drop a set in this year’s US Open and is looking strong for a deep run. “I felt really comfortable today. I felt like I was seeing the ball at the right times. It doesn’t always feel that good but I felt like today, I started off really well and I just wanted to keep executing that up until the very last game,” Pegula said after the match today, showing signs of confidence going into the quarters.

Meanwhile, the stage only gets bigger from here for Pegula. As a local, she understands how difficult Arthur Ashe’s atmosphere can be.

Jessica Pegula reflects on Coco Gauff’s tearful moment

During Gauff’s second-round match against Donna Vekic, she was trailing 4-5 in the first set. Subsequently, during the changeover, tears rolled down Gauff’s cheeks as her performance in that match visibly shook her. The American sensation had endured a tough couple of weeks going into the US Open, but found support in her compatriot, Pegula.

Gauff’s emotional moment was quite relatable for Pegula, who revealed, “Being able to do that in front of a stadium and kind of break down and go through whatever she was going through inside and then still be able to win the match, to come out on the other side? I mean, that takes guts. Ashe is really overwhelming. Not only are you playing out there, but you’re trying to win, and then you feel like you’re failing, and then you’re crying, and then you still win — that’s even harder than not showing any emotion at all.”

Nonetheless, Gauff came back strongly and will face Naomi Osaka later today to hopefully lock a seat in the QFs. Can Gauff overcome the odds and win the US Open title this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.