The revamped mixed doubles championship has been controversial at the U.S. Open, but Jessica Pegula showed how desperate she was to win during the semifinal.
Pegula and her doubles partner, Jack Draper, suffered an unexpected loss to Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud on Wednesday, as they had a commanding lead in the decisive set tiebreak. Pegula and Draper led 8-4 in a race to 10 points, but lost six straight points.
The competition was filled with elite stars from the ATP Tour, who controversially replaced regular doubles partners. While some tennis stars were keen to have fun, Pegula demonstrated how determined she was to win in the semifinal.
During the first set, there was confusion over who had won a point after the ball bounced twice in quick succession. However, the confusion stemmed from Pegula challenging the umpire while the other three players didn’t react.
Pegula was unclear whether she had been awarded the point or if the umpire had ruled in Swiatek’s favor. The match was briefly halted as Pegula approached the umpire, and she was heard saying: “If that’s her point, then I’m challenging.”
The first set was won by Pegula and Draper 5-3, but they lost the second set. Rather than heading to a third set, the new format meant a tiebreak would determine the winner.
Pegula and Draper were just two points away from reaching the final, but they collapsed, allowing Swiatek and Ruud to progress. When speaking to Draper after the match, Pegula appeared to drop an expletive, as she seemed to say: “F—, I’m sorry.”
The American tennis star has taken the mixed doubles seriously from the start. Pegula corrected Draper earlier in the competition when he referred to their opening game against Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu as an exhibition.
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When questioned about how it would feel to win a major title, Draper said: “Yeah, it would mean a lot. Obviously, it is like a bit of an exhibition format. It’s nice to play with someone.”
Pegula instantly stepped in and said: “You shouldn’t be saying that, but that’s okay.” Draper appeared confused, and attempted to reason with his doubles partner.
“What? What did I say? Have a bit of fun with it,” Draper said. “I don’t know. I like winning. It’s good to win, right?” Pegula responded: “Yeah. It’s not an exhibition. I know what you’re saying.”
The revamped competition was a tactical change made by the U.S. Open to include more prominent names in the draw, and it led to sell-out crowds the week before the singles get underway. Coco Gauff made a statement when rejecting an invite, claiming it wasn’t fair to already-established doubles pairings. pairings.