Pegula, Navarro eye all-American US Open final

NEW YORK – Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro will look to set up an all-American US Open women's final on Thursday (Friday Manila time) after both players overcame serious tests to get to the semifinals.

Pegula knocked out World No. 1 and 2022 champion Iga Swiatek in a crushing one-sided quarterfinal to reach the last four at a Slam for the first time.

Navarro, also into her first semifinal at a major, defeated defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round.

AFP Sport looks ahead to Thursday's semifinals at Flushing Meadows (x denotes seeding):

Head-to-head: Pegula leads 1-0

– After losing six Grand Slam quarterfinals, 30-year-old Pegula is into her maiden semifinal and has not dropped a set over five rounds.

On Wednesday, she knocked out top seed and four-time French Open champion Swiatek for the loss of just six games.

It was Pegula's fourth win on hard courts against the Pole — after her three other wins she went on to claim the title.

"Finally, finally, I can say I'm a semifinalist," said Pegula.

"To do it at prime time against the number one player in the world it's crazy, but I knew I could do it."

After winning the Toronto title and finishing runner-up in Cincinnati, Pegula has won 14 of her 15 matches on the US hard court swing, including a three-set victory over Muchova in Cincinnati.

Muchova is in the semifinals in New York for a second successive year.

Muchova made the French Open final in 2023, rising to a career-high eight in the world, before suffering a serious right wrist injury which required surgery.

She only returned in June this year.

"There were a few bad days, and then I always try to just regroup and focus on the step that I could do, what's the first step I can do towards recovery," she said.

"I had a really great team of doctors around me and my team who is with me all the time supporting me. We worked a lot, we always stick together."

Head-to-head: 1-1

– Navarro lost the first round in both of her previous US Open appearances, but now the 23-year-old New Yorker is into her maiden Slam semifinal having knocked out defending champion Coco Gauff along the way.

Being the daughter of a billionaire father, Navarro has faced inevitable