Rainy New York: Pegula and Muchova advance with two contrasting styles

Flushing Meadows on Wednesday had no consistent sound of rackets on the outside courts. Part of the site was covered, outdoor matches were suspended, while inside the two roofed arenas the bounce of the ball continued. In that quiet gap, Jessica Pegula finished her match in just 56 minutes, and Karolina Muchova left court with a near-perfect victory. Rain at this year's US Open did more than disrupt the schedule. It exposed the gap between players who got to compete under a roof and those forced to wait outside. Pegula defeated Sofia Kenin 6-3, 6-1. Kenin is a former Australian Open champion, but that past title did not help her build any rhythm. Pegula played a clean tactical match, never allowed Kenin to settle, and finished in under an hour. The numbers underline her form: a tour-leading 31 hard-court wins this season and 47 total victories, tied with Alexander Zverev for the overall tour lead. At 31, Pegula is in the prime of her career, yet she still lacks the Grand Slam title that would turn consistency into legacy. Muchova was even more impressive. She beat Katie Boulter 6-1, 6-0. Boulter is a legitimate top-30 player with a heavy serve and aggressive baseline game. A scoreline that one-sided was not luck. Muchova used her slice backhand, net approaches and subtle changes of pace to take away Boulter's power. The Wimbledon runner-up has carried her grass-court form onto the hard courts. With her history of injuries, finishing quickly was also a form of load management. She remains a dangerous dark horse in this draw. Paula Badosa faced a different challenge. Her match against Daria Kasatkina was suspended by rain when Badosa was one game from victory. When play resumed, she had to deal with an unusual mental test: waiting for hours without knowing whether she would need two points or six games. Badosa admitted she was very nervous and could not eat. She eventually won 6-1, 6-4, but the result was less about technique and more about managing an interrupted match under pressure. The rain also created scheduling tension. Matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium continued under roofs while outside courts sat idle. Players on show courts kept their rhythm; those on outside courts faced long waits and possible back-to-back matches. This is a structural issue at modern Slams with partial roof coverage. The US Open's Sunday start, now in its second year, spreads the first round over three days and reduces the Monday overload. But rain showed its limitation. Once weather wipes out outside courts, the buffer disappears and the schedule compresses. Pegula will next face Leylah Fernandez, a player she leads 3-1 head-to-head. Yet Fernandez reached the US Open final in 2026 on this same surface, so past results may not fully capture her ability to raise her level in New York. Muchova's 6-0 second set may have come from a subtle tactical adjustment, a sign of her intelligence rather than just superior shot-making. Pegula will need more than consistency if she faces an elite defender like Iga Swiatek in the later rounds. The tournament remains wide open with Sabalenka, Gauff, Pegula and Muchova all legitimate contenders. Rain may have slowed the schedule, but Pegula and Muchova showed they are best equipped to control their own rhythm and energy.