US Open: Jessica Pegula reaches her first Grand Slam final at age 30 and will play Aryna Sabalenka

NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula could do no right at the outset of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Her opponent at the U.S. Open on Thursday night, Karolina Muchova, could do no wrong.

“I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable. She made me look like a beginner,” Pegula said. “I was about to burst into tears, because it was embarrassing. She was destroying me.”

Pegula managed to shrug off that sluggish start and come back from a set and a break down to defeat Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 for a berth in the final at Flushing Meadows. The No. 6-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old from New York, has won 15 of her past 16 matches and will meet No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday.

Sabalenka, last year's runner-up to Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open, returned to the championship match by holding off No. 13 Emma Navarro of the United States 6-3, 7-6 (2).

This final will be a rematch of the one last month at the hard-court Cincinnati Open, which Sabalenka won — the only blemish on Pegula's post-Olympics record.

“Hopefully," Pegula said, “I can get some revenge out here.”

Pegula's parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres; her father was in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands Thursday, as were her sister, brother and husband.

Things did not look promising for Pegula early on the cool evening. Not at all.

Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up but unseeded after missing about 10 months because of wrist surgery, employed every ounce of her versatility and creativity, the traits that make her so hard to deal with on any surface. The slices. The touch at the net. The serve-and-volleying. Ten of the match’s first 12 winners came off her racket. The first set lasted 28 minutes, and Muchova won 30 of its 44 points.

After grabbing eight of the first nine games, Muchova was a single point from leading 3-0 in the second set. But she couldn't convert a break chance there, flubbing a forehand volley off a slice from Pegula, and everything changed.

Quickly, the 52nd-ranked Muchova went from not being able to miss a shot to not being able to make one. And Pegula turned it on, heeding her two coaches' advice to mix up her serves and her spins and to go after Muchova's backhand.

“She was everywhere,” Muchova said. “She started to play way better.”

Most of all, Pegula demonstrated the confident brand of tennis she used to eliminate No. 1 Iga Swiatek, a five-time major champion, in straight sets on Wednesday. Pegula had been 0-6 in major quarterfinals before that breakthrough.

Took Pegula a while to play that well Thursday, but once she got going, whoa, did she ever. All told, she collected nine of 11 games, a span that allowed her to not merely flip the second set but race to a 3-0 edge in the third.

“I was able to find a way, find some adrenaline, find my legs. And then at the end of the second set, into the third set, I started to play like how I wanted to play. It took a while,” Pegula said. “I don’t know how I turned that around.”

Muchova, a 28-year-old from the Czech Republic, hadn’t ceded a set in the tournament until then. But she began to fade. After going 7 for 7 on points at the net in the first set, she went 15 for 29 the rest of the way. After only seven unforced errors in the first set, she had 33 across the second and third.

And all the while, a crowd that was flat at the beginning — save for the occasional cry of “Come on, Jess!” — was roaring.

When things suddenly got quite tight in the second set of the first semifinal, and spectators suddenly got quite loud while pulling for Navarro, Sabalenka found herself flashing back to 2023, when it felt like everyone was backing Gauff.

“Last year, it was a very tough experience. Very tough lesson. Today in the match, I was, like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna. It’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,’” said Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus who was the champion at the last two Australian Opens.

Using her usual brand of high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sabalenka produced 34 winners and 34 unforced errors — punctuating most of her groundstrokes with a yell — and, in a fitting bit of symmetry, Navarro had 13 winners and 13 unforced errors.

Navarro did not fold in the second set, despite trailing for much of it, and she broke when Sabalenka attempted to serve out the victory at 5-4.

“I wasn’t ready for the match to be over,” Navarro said.

But in the tiebreaker that followed, Sabalenka took over after Navarro led 2-0, grabbing every point that remained.

“I kind of got my teeth into it there at the end of the second set,” said Navarro, who got past Gauff in the fourth round, “and I felt I could definitely push it to a third. Wasn’t able to do so.”

When it ended, thousands of ticket-holders saluted Sabalenka for her latest show of mastery on a hard court; she’s now into her fourth straight final at a major held on that surface.

“Well, guys, now you are cheering for me,” Sabalenka with a laugh. “Well, it’s a bit too late.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, returns a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after scoring a point against Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns a shot to Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after defeating Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, reacts against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, tries to returns a shot to Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts in the third set against Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, reacts after losing a point to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after defeating Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts after defeating Karolina Muchova, of the Czech Republic, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, returns a shot to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Aryna Sabalenka, right, of Belarus, shakes hands with Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, wipes her face during the women's singles semifinals against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Martina Navratilova, left, watches play between Emma Navarro, of the United States, and Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, serves to Emma Navarro, of the United States, during a semifinal match of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after scoring a point against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, returns a shot to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, watches a return shot to Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Billie Jean King waves to the crowd during the women's singles semifinals between Emma Navarro, of the United States, and Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, returns a shot to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after winning the first set against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, returns a shot to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during a semifinal match of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Emma Navarro, of the United States, takes a break between games against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts against Emma Navarro, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, but hadn't specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.

Since the Truman's arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2025. (Kaitlin Young/U.S. Navy via AP)

FILE - Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is moored near Split, Croatia, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

FILE - A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)