Alan Pergament: Jessica Pegula's amazing story deserves the spotlight tonight over Patrick Mahomes
It would be nice if Western New Yorkers appreciated what Pegula is doing enough to watch her play over hate-watching Mahomes for one night, Pergament says.
It is fitting that Jessica Pegula’s biggest tennis match in her career in the U.S. Open semifinals will be played Thursday night at the same time as the NFL opener between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
That likely will mean viewership in Western New York on ESPN will be less than it should be because tennis just can’t compete with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson playing on NBC (WGRZ-TV here).
People in Western New York tennis circles undoubtedly will have their remotes ready to dial switch and some people may try to watch both events on two different screens, but Pegula deserved to have the spotlight here to herself.
You could make the case that Pegula may be the most underappreciated and under-the-radar sports star in Western New York history.
That was in evidence again Wednesday night when the sixth-seeded Pegula dominated No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek, 6-2, 6-4 to reach Thursday’s semifinal against unseeded Karolina Muchova scheduled at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns to Iga Świątek, of Poland, during the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. Associated Press
Well before Pegula completed the upset, ESPN’s Chris Fowler asked analyst Chris Evert if a victory “would be the most significant” of her career.
It seemed like a rhetorical question since Pegula was winless in six previous tries to reach a semifinal in major tournaments.
That statistic deserved an asterisk. As Pegula correctly noted in her post-match interview, she lost to some great players in all those matches.
After Pegula won the final point, Fowler put an exclamation point on the victory.
“The biggest win of her career,” he said.
He added she “played with poise and clarity, clean and confident.”
Evert, who praised Pegula’s mental toughness throughout Wednesday’s match against the No. 1 women’s player in the world, immediately called it “the most significant win of her career.”
“New York is her home,” she added.
Jessica Pegula has pulled off a major upset at the U.S. Open by beating No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek 6-2, 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. Pegula's victory on Wednesday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium came after she had started her career with an 0-6 record in major quarterfinals. Swiatek served poorly in the first set and her forehand was a real problem. Pegula used terrific defense to keep forcing Swiatek to hit an extra shot. The No. 6-seeded Pegula is a 30-year-old American. She has won 14 of her past 15 matches and will play Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic on Thursday for a berth in the final. Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper set up a men's semifinal matchup.
I could almost hear some sensitive Western New Yorkers disputing that remark. She was born in Buffalo, which wasn’t mentioned during the telecast.
“She deserves it,” Evert said of Pegula’s win. “She deserves to win a slam (major tournament). She’s the best player out there right now who has not won a slam. Could this be her year?”
To earn a major, she’ll have to beat Muchova of the Czech Republic Thursday night to advance to the final Saturday and then defeat the winner of the other semifinal Thursday night between No. 13 seed American Emma Navarro and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.
If Pegula and Navarro both win, it would set up an all-American Open final Saturday between the daughters of two American billionaires.
Pegula’s father Terry owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. Navarro’s father Ben is a prominent businessman in Charleston, S.C.
In other words, their stories couldn’t be more different than the stories of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, who were taught tennis by their father on the public courts around Compton, Calif.
You almost wonder if that is one reason that the incredible success Pegula has had seems to be underappreciated. It is an amazing story.
The drive, dedication and discipline for Pegula and Navarro to get to the top level of the sport is impressive when you consider they knew were set for life by the time they picked up a racquet.
The cameras have been focusing on Navarro’s father and friends in a box throughout her run.
During Pegula’s victory Wednesday, the cameras showed some people rooting for her in a box but didn’t identify anyone.
Her parents apparently weren’t there. Terry has other things to be concerned about with his wife Kim’s health situation. It also can be very difficult for some parents to watch their children in top-flight athletic competition.
You only have to recall all the camera shots of parents watching their children during the Paris Olympics to recall how difficult it can be.
Pegula also is doing something that can be difficult for tennis players to overcome. She is 30 years old. There are only a couple of Top 10 female players that age. It is close to the age that many players consider retirement.
Pegula’s first-round victory over Shelby Rogers was Rogers’ last match before retiring. Rogers is 31. Navarro is 23. Sabalenka is 26. Muchova is 28.
If Pegula is going to win the grand slam tournament that Evert thinks she deserves, now is the time.
It would be nice if Western New Yorkers appreciated what she is doing enough to watch her play over hate-watching Mahomes for one night.