It has been a memorable US Open for Jessica Pegula. Coming into the tournament in good form, she delivered the latest stunner in the ongoing event that has already seen the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic crashing out. In her quarter-final match, she added more to it by defeating world No. 1 Iga Swiatek while booking a spot in the semis against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.

What has been heartening to see is the amount of support that she has received in the tournament. Playing in front of the home crowd, Pegula has been a fan favorite, and she has lived up to their hopes. But apart from the fans’ support, Pegula has also got the support of a mysterious person who has been spotted in her box every time she has stepped out on the court this US Open. Who is that person?

Pegula has a sister named Kelly. Although she is a stranger to tennis, she has supported Pegula wholeheartedly during the ongoing US Open. Kelly Pegula has made her presence felt during her sister’s matches, being quite vocal in her support. Kelly is the third child of Terry Pegula’s second wife, Kim Pegula. She is a fashion designer and a budding singer.

Kelly Pegula was raised with her brother and sister in the United States. Along with her qualifications in fashion design, she also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational and Professional Communication Science from Pennsylvania State University in 2020. She is currently residing in West Palm Beach, Florida, and has made her way to New York to cheer for her sister. Last year, Jessica had lauded Kelly for her vital support to their family that saved it from a tragedy.

In June 2022, Jessica and Kelly’s mother Kim met with a cardiac arrest. According to reports, Kim, a co-owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the National Hockey League’s Buffalo Sabres, had to be hospitalized. In an article in The Players’ Tribune last year, Jessica revealed that her father woke up to her going into cardiac arrest while Kim was asleep. “she was unresponsive for quite a while,” Jessica had written. It was at this point that her sister Kelly took things into her own hands.

“My sister gave her CPR until the ambulance arrived. She saved her life. Even though she doesn’t like to take credit for this terrible situation, she absolutely saved her life, followed by the critical job performed by the paramedics who arrived and were able to restore a heartbeat,” Jessica had revealed. The two sisters once shared a business bond as well.

In 2016, Kelly, with Jessica, opened a restaurant chain named Healthy Scratch in LECOM Harborcenter. It offered smoothies, cold-pressed juices, juice shots, salads, acai bowls, and wraps. It was followed by a food truck in 2017. Next came café locations inside Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Buffalo General Medical Center in 2018 and 2019, respectively. A limited-service site inside Revolution Indoor Cycling on Delaware Avenue also opened later that year. However, six years into the business, it closed down in May 2022.

Kelly is also the founder of a sports company named Pegula Sports and Entertainment and is actively involved with it as the CEO. With all the support Jessica Pegula is one step away from making it to her first Grand Slam final of her career after the fabulous performance against Swiatek. Let us take a look at how it went through.

Jessica Pegula breaks the quarterfinal jinx, onto a Grand Slam semifinal

Before this occasion, Pegula has never made it to the semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament, despite being around for quite some time. sixth-seeded Pegula has previously lost six quarterfinals, including two in each of the last two seasons. However, her ranking improved to No. 3 in the world and she won WTA Masters 1000 tournaments — just below the rank of a Grand Slam. After her fourth-round win over Diana Shnaider, the American star revealed what it takes to overcome the quarterfinal hurdle.

She said, “Well, I always say I just need to win a match to get to the semis and then that’ll solve everything, right? But I mean, it doesn’t really matter to me. I mean, every match is every match. I’ve always played it like that. It just so happens to be the quarterfinals. But at the same time, to be able to say I’ve been in that position many, many times is great. So I just have to keep putting myself there and keep trying to play my game. And it’s one point at a time when you’re out there.” Indeed, she pulled it off.

Pegula ousted the Polish prodigy 6-2, 6-4, in just under 90 minutes. The American took full advantage of the uncharacteristic 41 unforced errors by Iga. The latter struggled to control her forehand specifically. On the other hand, Pegula dominated from the very beginning, and broke in the opening game, exploiting a double fault from Swiatek. Pegula snatched the first set in just 37 minutes moving forward after her second break and going 3-0 up.

Iga tried for a comeback in the second set. But Pegula maintained the pressure and secured the decisive break at 3-3 before pressing on towards victory. Finally, Pegula served for the match but she converted her third match point to seal her place in the semi-finals. She became the fourth American to reach the semifinals this year, joining Emma Navarro, Frances Tiafoe, and Taylor Fritz. This brings back the memory of 2003.

That edition of the US Open was the last time when multiple American men and women made it to a Grand Slam. The pack had eventual champion Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Lindsay Davenport, and Jennifer Capriati. Pegula was understandably elated. “I’ve been [to the quarter-finals] so many freaking times but I kept losing. Finally – finally – I can say I’m a semi-finalist. Thank you to the crowd, you carried me through that last game. To do it at prime time against the number one player in the world – it’s crazy, but I knew I could do it,” she said after the win. Pegula will face Muchova on September 5 to continue her journey toward the title.