Jessica Pegula Overcomes Back Spasms with Crunches at US Open

New York, NY — World No. 7 Jessica Pegula faced an unexpected challenge during her US Open quarterfinal match against Barbora Krejcikova when her back began to spasm. With the score at 4-3 in the first set, Pegula took a rare bathroom break to address the issue.

In the bathroom of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 31-year-old athlete performed crunches on the floor, hoping to relieve her discomfort. Pegula has dealt with sacroiliac joint issues since Wimbledon, and the pain intensified mid-match. She explained on her podcast, co-hosted with Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady, and Desirae Krawczyk, ‘I needed to lay down on the floor and do some core exercises because my back was spasming up.’

After quickly regrouping, Pegula returned to the court and powered through to win the first set 6-3, then took the second set 6-3, securing her spot in the semifinals. ‘After, my coaches were like, ‘We were wondering if you were OK, if you ate something or something was wrong,” Pegula recalled.

In the semifinal, Pegula battled against eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka, winning the first set but ultimately losing the next two. Despite the outcome, Pegula viewed her time in New York as productive as she prepares to represent the United States in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China. Following that, she plans to compete in the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing next week and the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open in October.