Playing at the US Open as an American ‘unlike anything else’ in tennis, says Jessica Pegula

(CNN) — The roar of a partisan home crowd can often be enough to lift tennis players out of precarious positions and help carry them to victory.

Though perhaps not quite as vociferous as the French Open crowd, fans at the US Open have earned the grand slam a reputation as arguably the loudest tournament on the ATP and WTA Tours.

That’s particularly true if an American is playing at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest arena at any of the four grand slams. Frances Tiafoe said in 2023 that the capacity 23,000 fans “felt like 23 million” when they were cheering him on.

Another American to have heard that roar is Jessica Pegula , who last year reached the US Open final before falling in two close sets to Aryna Sabalenka.

For the Buffalo native, there is no place on tour quite like Flu