World No. 3 Jessica Pegula was full of praise for Aryna Sabalenka after losing to the Belarusian in the US Open semifinal, saying the two-time defending champion produced the highest level of tennis she had seen from her this year.

New York, Sep 11: World No. 3 Jessica Pegula heaped praise on Aryna Sabalenka following her loss to the two-time defending US Open champion in the semifinal and opined that this was the best level she saw from the Belarusian and wondered who pissed Sabalenka off for playing the way she did at the Arthur Ashe Stadium against her.

"I think that is probably the best match she's played this year. I thought her level was insanely high," Pegula said in the post-match press conference following her 5-7, 2-6 loss to Sabalenka.

"Maybe she felt a little bit off in the beginning. We both were playing well, serving well. And then, I don't know who pissed her off today. Hopefully it wasn’t me, totally; it might’ve been. I don't know; she played insane. She played at a super high level. Honestly, I don't really know if there was much I could do today.

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