Jessica Pegula staged an incredible comeback to beat Karolina Muchova and reach her first Grand Slam final at the US Open on Thursday, where she will face strongman Aryna Sabalenka for the title. World No. 6 Pegula from the United States fought back from a set and a break to claim a stunning 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over her 52nd ranked opponent from Czech Republic. Pegula has now won 15 of 16 matches at the US summer hard-court tournament, including a title in Toronto and a loss in the final in Cincinnati to Sabalenka.

Pegula, 30, is in her first Grand Slam semi-final after six painful quarter-final losses, appearing dejected and disappointed at one stage on Thursday. She lost the first set in just 28 minutes and quickly fell behind 2-0 in the second set and had to save break points to avoid being 3-0 down. That was the signal that caused many spectators to leave Arthur Ashe Stadium because they did not want to see the American team fail for the second time in a row. However, Pegula did her best to stage an incredible recovery in a dramatic semi-final that saw her win eight of her final 10 matches. Muchova’s 40th self-defeating mistake in the competition sealed her fate.