Pegula and Muchova advance as rain disrupts US Open day 4
Jessica Pegula and Karolina Muchova both reached the US Open third round on rainy Day 4 at Flushing Meadows, while defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was set for the Arthur Ashe night session. Pegula demolished Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes; Muchova routed Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 as outer-court play was suspended again.
Rain has become a defining feature of the 2026 US Open, forcing delays for a second straight day. Only matches under the roofs at Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadium continued uninterrupted while outside courts went dark.
Key Takeaways
- No. 3 Jessica Pegula beat Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1 in 56 minutes, reaching the third round for a seventh straight year.
- No. 7 Karolina Muchova, the Wimbledon runner-up, crushed Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0 to advance.
- Pegula's 31st hard-court win in 2026 is the most on the WTA Tour; she has 47 total wins this season.
- Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was scheduled for a night match on Ashe as Day 4 continued.
- Pegula next faces 2021 finalist Leylah Fernandez in a clash of past US Open runners-up.
How did Jessica Pegula beat Sofia Kenin so quickly?
The No. 3 seed needed just 56 minutes to dismiss the 2020 Australian Open champion 6-3, 6-1 on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was Pegula's most one-sided meeting with Kenin after their first four contests all went three sets.
Pegula dropped only seven points on serve and did not face a break point, according to WTA Tennis. She added five aces and converted break chances with sharp returning, including a fourth-break-point conversion for 2-0 in the second set.
"To be out of there in under an hour, it doesn't always happen," Pegula said after the win. "So I think I'm just going to take that one and run, I guess, until the next round."
Bleacher Report noted she won 83 percent of points on serve while committing just eight unforced errors. The victory was her 31st hard-court win of 2026, breaking a tie with Elena Rybakina for the tour lead.
What did Karolina Muchova do in her second-round match?
The Czech No. 7 seed was ruthless against Britain's Katie Boulter, winning 6-1, 6-0 to reach the third round. Muchova entered the tournament as the Wimbledon runner-up.
Her straight-sets demolition matched the efficiency Pegula showed earlier on Ashe. Both women avoided the backlog that stranded some players still finishing first-round matches on outer courts.
Why is rain reshaping the 2026 US Open schedule?
With rain falling for a second day, play was suspended on outside courts while roofed stadiums kept going. Some players were still contesting—or resuming—first-round matches that should have wrapped earlier in the week.
Paula Badosa, halted one game from victory Tuesday against Daria Kasatkina, returned Wednesday to finish a 6-1, 6-4 win and set up a second-round meeting with No. 4 Coco Gauff. Badosa said the uncertainty left her unable to eat and feeling unusually nervous before stepping back on court.
The Sunday-start format spreads the first round across three days, so Wednesday was meant to be a clean second-round slate. Weather has scrambled that plan across both draws.
Where does Aryna Sabalenka fit into day 4?
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was set to play on Arthur Ashe Stadium at night as Day 4 continued, per ESPN. Pegula remains among the players who could climb toward the No. 1 ranking in New York if results break her way and she captures her first major title.
Pegula's reward for the quick Kenin win is a third-round date with No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up. Pegula leads their head-to-head 3-1, all on North American outdoor hard courts, but warned that Fernandez's aggressive, left-handed game can be tricky when she finds rhythm.
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