Jessica Pegula is looking for "revenge" against Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final after losing out on the title to her in Cincinnati.
Pegula will play in her first-ever grand slam final this weekend, becoming the oldest American to do so in the Open Era at 30 years and 193 days.
She had to do it the hard way though, coming from behind to beat Karolina Muchova 1-6 6-4 6-2 in a semi-final that lasted over two hours.
Pegula lost in straight sets when she faced Sabalenka in the Cincinnati Open final, but she is hopeful she can flip the script this time around.
"Playing Aryna is going to be really tough," Pegula said.
"She showed how tough she is [in the first semi] and why she's probably the favourite to win this tournament.
"It'll be a rematch of Cincinnati, so hopefully I can get some revenge out here.
"It's kind of crazy that we're playing each other again in the finals, but I think it just shows how much great hard-court tennis we've been playing. She's going to be tough to beat, but that's what the finals are for, so I'm ready."
Sabalenka overcame another American in her semi-final, beating Emma Navarro 6-3 7-6 (7-2).
She has reached a second consecutive US Open final, having missed out on the title to Coco Gauff last year, and has reached each of the last four grand slam finals on hard courts, winning both of those in Australia.
Having already beaten one of the home favourites, Sabalenka will be expecting another raucous atmosphere when she faces Pegula.
"Well now you're cheering for me, it's a bit too late," a Sabalenka joked after the match.
"It really means a lot and even though you guys were supporting her, I still had goosebumps for you cheering."
Jessica Pegula rallied after a difficult first set in an emotional US Open semi-final against Karolina Muchova to reach her maiden grand slam final.
Pegula is the oldest American woman in the Open Era to reach her first major final, where she will play Aryna Sabalenka, but she had to do it the hard way in a 1-6 6-4 6-2 in two hours and 13 minutes.
The 30-year-old won her first service game, but Muchova's strength pushed her through the rest of the first set.
Pegula then found herself 2-0 down in the second but dug deep to go on a four-match winning streak and force a decider.
After that, Muchova had no way back, as Pegula got two more breaks in the final set, and she admitted that even she was surprised by the comeback.
"I came out flat, but she was playing unbelievable, she made me look like a beginner," Pegula said.
"I was about to burst into tears because it was embarrassing, she was destroying me.
"I don't know how I turned that around, honestly."
Data Debrief: Pegula's wait is over
It is the second year in a row that an American will play in the women's singles final, with Pegula following Coco Gauff, who won the tournament last time around.
However, by defeating Muchova at the age of 30 years and 193 days, Pegula became the oldest American in the Open Era to reach a maiden grand slam final.
She is also just the third player in the Open Era to win a women's singles semi-final at the US Open after losing the first set 6-1, after Svetlana Kuznetsova (2004) and Victoria Azarenka (2020) – excluding retirements.
Aryna Sabalenka believes her improved calmness was the key to her reaching a second consecutive US Open final.
The Belarusian beat one of the home favourites Emma Navarro in straight sets on Thursday, needing a tie-break to edge past the in-form American.
Sabalenka, who finished as runner-up to Coco Gauff in the tournament last year, won 6-3 7-6 (7-2) in just over 90 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
After a relatively comfortable first set, Sabalenka looked to be cruising in the second too, until Navarro clawed her way in front after being 5-3 down.
However, the number two seed soon regained her footing to win the tie-break, and she credits the work she has put in on her mindset as the game changer.
"I worked really hard on my mindset on the match," Sabalenka said afterwards. "I think I made really huge improvement on that calmness, on those crucial moments.
"Even if things are not working well for me, I still keep doing the right things, and I'm staying in control. I'm really proud, I'm actually really proud of myself that I was able to get to the point when I'm in control of my emotions."
Data Debrief: Back-to-back
Sabalenka has dropped just one set throughout the US Open this year, and has put herself in the best position to win the competition for the first time.
The 26-year-old is the first woman to reach back-to-back US Open finals since Serena Williams in 2018 and 2019. She has now reached all four hard court grand slam finals in the last two years.
Since the Australian Open's switch from grass in 1988, Sabalenka is just the fifth player to reach the women's singles final at the Australian and US Open in consecutive seasons after Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis and Victoria Azarenka.
The San Diego Padres were one strike away from padding their lead atop the NL wild-card standings.
The Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows changed that with one swing of the bat.
Down 3-0 with two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth inning, Meadows hit a grand slam to stun the Padres and send the Tigers to a thrilling 4-3 win on Thursday.
Parker hit a 101 mph four-seam fastball off Robert Suarez that travelled 361 feet and landed just over the short left-field fence in San Diego.
San Diego (80-62) lost for the first time in four games and its lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks shrunk to just one-half game for the NL's top wild-card spot.
Jurickson Profar and Xander Bogaerts each homered for the Padres, who end the regular season with a three-game series at Arizona.
Meadows' homer was just his sixth of the season and lifted the Tigers (71-70) back over .500 and within five games of the Royals for the AL's final wild-card spot.
Braves lose, now tied for final NL wild card spot
The Atlanta Braves suffered a 3-1 loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies to drop into a tie for the league's final wild-card berth with the idle New York Mets.
Atlanta and New York have identical 76-64 records with 22 games remaining.
The Braves, who got their lone run on Ramón Laureano's RBI single in the first inning, managed just five hits with Orlando Arcia's second inning-double the only one going for extra bases in the finale with the Rockies (52-89).
Colorado's Michael Toglia and Ezequiel Tovar each hit solo homers off Atlanta starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, who gave up three other hits while striking out 11 without a walk in his six innings of work.
Rockies starter Austin Gomber went eight innings, yielding a run and five hits without issuing a walk while striking out six.
Phillies push winning streak to five
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Miami Marlins 5-2 to extend their winning streak to five games and increase their lead atop the NL East to eight games.
Bryson Stott hit an RBI single in the first inning and a long solo homer during Philadelphia's four-run sixth inning.
Kody Clemens knocked in a pair of runs with a double in the sixth and later came around to score on a wild pitch.
Ranger Suarez gave up three hits over five scoreless innings for the Phillies (84-56), who have won 10 of 12.
The Marlins (52-88) scored their first run in the seventh on an RBI single by Jesús Sánchez and plated their final run an inning later on a throwing error by Clemens.
The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2024 NFL season with an exhilarating 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.
The Chiefs' first step toward an unprecedented three-peat came down to a toe.
On the game's final play, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw a 10-yard pass to Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone that was initially ruled a touchdown to make the score 27-26 and bring the Ravens within a point.
The touchdown was reviewed, and it was determined Likely's toe was out of bounds, making it an incomplete pass and ending the game.
The Chiefs took a 27-17 lead on Patrick Mahomes' 35-yard touchdown pass to rookie Xavier Worthy in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Ravens then pulled within seven points on Justin Tucker's 32-yard field goal with 4:54 to go and Baltimore later got the ball back at its own 13-yard line with 1:50 remaining.
Jackson drove the Ravens down to the Kansas City 10-yard line in the closing seconds, but after missing open receivers on first and second down, it appeared the reigning league MVP connected with Likely to make it a one-point game. Replay then clearly showed Likely's toe crossing the endline.
Jackson finished with 273 passing yards and another 122 yards rushing. He had 49-yard TD pass to Likely, who finished with 111 receiving yards.
Derrick Henry rushed for 46 yards in his Baltimore debut and scored the first touchdown of the season on the Ravens' first drive.
Worthy had Kansas City's first TD, scoring on a 21-yard run in the first quarter, and Isiah Pacheco later scored on a one-yard TD run.
Mahomes finished with 291 yards passing, while Rashee Rice led the Chiefs with seven receptions for 103 yards, with Travis Kelce adding three catches for 34 yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was a limited participant in Thursday's practice session, just three days out from his potential debut with the team.
Wilson joined the Steelers after cutting short a largely unsuccessful two-season spell with the Denver Broncos in March.
Wilson, a Super Bowl XLVIII champion with the Seattle Seahawks, played 30 games through his two seasons in Denver but only managed 11 victories as the team twice missed out on the playoffs.
Having joined the Steelers on a one-year deal on the veteran's minimum salary of $1.2million for 2024, Wilson beat out fellow new arrival Justin Fields for the starting job during preseason.
However, coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Thursday the 35-year-old had self-reported tightness in his right calf and would undergo further examination.
The Steelers open their 2024 campaign against the Atlanta Falcons, who also have two new quarterbacks on their roster in Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., on Sunday.
Deshaun Watson makes his long-awaited return from injury for the Cleveland Browns this weekend, having reaffirmed his belief he is still an 'elite' passer in the NFL.
Watson, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last November, has played just 12 times for Cleveland since making his debut in 2022.
Before his injury, he threw for seven touchdowns and four interceptions in six appearances in 2023, leading his team to a 5-1 record.
The 28-year-old has not featured during preseason but is relishing being labelled with the underdog tag ahead of Sunday's Week 1 clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
"It's fine with us. It's perfect," Watson said of the lower expectations on Wednesday. "We're just going to go under the radar and work. That's all we can do."
When asked whether he still considers himself one of the league's elite quarterbacks, Watson answered, "Of course. No doubt."
Watson's last start for Cleveland came in a comeback 33-31 triumph over the Baltimore Ravens last November, completing 58.8% of his 34 passing attempts for 213 yards and a touchdown.
And while he enjoyed a successful start to last season, Watson is not looking to dwell on the past as he prepares for an exciting future with Cleveland.
"Honestly, man, I don't even look at those six starts. It's a new year, it's a new season," Watson said.
"You've got to focus on Week 1. In this system and this league, if you're focusing on last year, you're going to get left behind."
While Watson will return to the lineup, he could be without his starting left tackle this week.
Jedrick Wills Jr. returned to practice this week for the first time since a season-ending knee injury last November, but told reporters he is not in contention to face the Cowboys.
Jack Conklin, who is also returning from a season-ending knee injury he sustained in Week 1 last year, could start in his place.
Kansas City Chiefs tackle Mike Pennel is out to prove the Opta supercomputer wrong after it estimated the team's chances of a Super Bowl three-peat at just 11.6%.
The Chiefs are looking to make history in the 2024 campaign, which they open on Thursday with a mouthwatering tussle with the Baltimore Ravens, who they beat in last season's AFC Championship game.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Andy Reid and company are out to make the Chiefs the first franchise in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.
Eight teams have previously won back-to-back Super Bowls, only to fail to make the showpiece game in the subsequent season, most recently the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005.
Ahead of the new campaign, the Opta supercomputer's predictive model, which takes into account a team's quarterback and EVE (efficiency vs expected) performance, rated Kansas City's chances of winning Super Bowl LIX at 11.6%.
They are more favoured than AFC rivals Baltimore (10.8%), but the San Francisco 49ers – who the Chiefs beat at Super Bowl LVIII and Super Bowl LIV – are favourites with a 23.9% likelihood of winning it all.
Pennel is desperate to prove the model wrong, telling Stats Perform: "Give me the opportunity to fight against the machines! I don't think we were favoured in any playoff game this year. You know what I mean?
"I'm pretty sure they're doing it off numbers, but we played them twice in the Super Bowl. We beat them twice. I guess we'll just have to get to it.
"I think we may see them again. But the NFC, they've got some tough teams out there right now. They got some teams that are ascending, Green Bay was looking good and are another dark horse.
"We'll see what Dallas is doing, how their contract situation works out. The Eagles look very, very, very solid. So we'll see how it shakes out. Remember, you've got to remain healthy to make it to the game. That's out of both teams' hands.
"We'll see what happens, but 23% to 11%? I can't agree with that. I would flip-flop that, but maybe it's calculating in the three-peat. Maybe that's what it is."
The Chiefs have made six consecutive AFC Championship games since Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018, winning four of those and going on to claim three Super Bowl rings.
Asked where their main competition might come from in the AFC, Pennel highlighted the Houston Texans – in their second year with C.J. Stroud leading the offense – as a major threat.
"I love the direction that Houston is going in. They're going to be formidable in the AFC. Cleveland with a healthy Deshaun Watson, we're interested to see how that looks," he said.
"Even in our division, you know, the Chargers with Jim Harbaugh, they've got a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. We know he'll be running the ball, but we'll see how that shakes out.
"The AFC is just getting better, man. There'll be a couple dark horses in there, but those are the two or three that I really think are going to take a leap and be competitive."
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase participated in practice after a hold-in ahead of their season opener against the New England Patriots.
Chase returned for the Bengals' first official practice of game week, having missed their training camp and sparingly worked out during team practices as he tries to work on a contract negotiation.
He has two years remaining on his current deal but has hopes of becoming one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.
Chase was only listed as a limited participant in his first practice, working with fellow receiver Tee Higgins.
However, his status for week one still remains a doubt, with Cincinnati unsure if they will be able to call upon him for their opener against the Patriots.
Quarterback Joe Burrow said the Bengals would be ready either way and praised Chase's attitude towards the team.
"We'll see if that ends up happening but whatever happens, we'll be prepared for it," Burrow said.
"He looks as fast and strong like he always does.
"He's always been a team-first, win-first kind of guy. That's the kind of guy Ja'Marr is, and you want to reward those guys."
Jack Draper labelled his US Open triumph over Alex de Minaur as a "dream come true", but insists he still has another level to come at Flushing Meadows.
Draper, who is yet to drop a set at the tournament, advanced to his maiden grand slam semi-final in straight sets against the world number 10 in New York.
In the last 40 years (since 1985), only Novak Djokovic and Ivan Lendl have reached the men's singles semi-finals at the US Open with fewer games dropped than the Briton this year (36).
Draper is also the lowest-ranked player left in the tournament, and is the first British men’s player to reach the semi-finals at the US Open since Andy Murray in 2012.
"It's amazing, honestly. To be out here in my first match on the biggest court in the world, honestly it's a dream come true for me," Draper said.
"Thank you for all the support, it means the world. I think I played a solid match and I feel the best fitness-wise that I've been in a long time.
"I think that's where Alex has got me in the past. I also think he was maybe struggling a little bit today with something and that may have helped me a little bit.
But standing in his way of reaching the final is world number one Jannik Sinner, who beat Daniil Medvedev in four sets at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Italian is the only player remaining in the tournament to win a grand slam title, having done so earlier this year at the Australian Open.
And while the challenge looks an imposing one, Draper insisted he still has more in the tank as he aims to achieve what would be the biggest win of his career.
"This is not an overnight thing for me," Draper added. "I felt like my level today was solid, there were some glimpse of really good stuff.
"I still have some levels to go if I get pushed."
Jannik Sinner was pleased with how he "stayed in every moment" in a "tough" US Open quarter-final against Daniil Medvedev.
The world number one is the only grand slam winner left in the draw after overcoming Medvedev, the 2021 champion at Flushing Meadows, in four sets.
Sinner has reached the semi-final at the US Open for the first time in his career, becoming the fourth active player to reach that stage at all four grand slams.
His triumph means he will play Jack Draper for a place in the final, with the Brit yet to drop a set in an impressive display in New York.
And Sinner acknowledged how hard he had to work to get there after going toe-to-toe with Medvedev for the third time in grand slams this year.
"Tough match, obviously," Sinner said. "Starting a break up in the first and third helps with the confidence, it helped me mentally to stay there in every moment.
"We played in Australia this year and then London. We knew it was going to be very physical. It was strange the first two sets because whoever made the first break then started to roll.
"I'm happy how I handled the situation, it's very tough against him. I think it was a great match from both sides. The fourth set was very tough."
Meanwhile, Medvedev was unable to capitalise on a strong second set, as the only former US Open champion left in the men's draw crashed out.
The Russian made six double faults and 57 unforced errors as he struggled to match Sinner's aggressive play in the latter stages.
"Sometimes you feel like you're doing all good, and then you miss, and then you have question marks, et cetera," Medvedev said.
"Maybe today I was going for a little bit more risky shots, I was missing just a bit more. As I said, one moment I kind of got lost in my misses."
Jessica Pegula admitted she was confident in beating a "prime" Iga Swiatek to reach her first grand slam semi-final at the US Open.
Pegula, who had lost her previous six slam quarter-finals, came through in straight sets at Flushing Meadows to stun the world number one.
She also became the fourth American in the Open Era to reach the women’s singles semi-final at the Canadian, Cincinnati and US Open in a calendar year after Rosemary Casals (1970), Serena Williams (2013-15) and Sloane Stephens (2017).
Pegula's triumph set up a meeting with Karolina Muchova for a place in the final after the Czech overcame illness to beat Beatriz Haddad Maia, also in straight sets.
With Emma Navarro along with Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz advancing to the final four, it is the first time two Americans have reached the semi-finals in the women’s and men’s singles at the US Open since 2003, with Jennifer Caprati, Lindsay Davenport, Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi the first do so.
It also marked Pegula's fourth victory over the Pole, with the latest win considered one of her best.
"I've been [to the quarter-finals] so many freaking times but I kept losing," Pegula said.
"Finally - finally - I can say I'm a semi-finalist. Thank you to the crowd, you carried me through that last game.
"To do it at prime time against the number one player in the world - it's crazy, but I knew I could do it."
Jannik Sinner is into the semi-finals of the US Open for the first time in his career after beating former champion Daniil Medvedev.
The world number one became the fourth active player to reach a semi-final at all four grand slams and will face Jack Draper for a place in the final.
Sinner claimed a statement 6-2 1-6 6-1 6-4 win over Medvedev, in a rematch of this year's Australian Open final, which the 23-year-old also won.
The momentum shifted throughout - after cruising through the first set, Sinner was then put on the back foot as Medvedev took the second, with the Italian finally gaining the upper hand in the third.
Though the final set was tight, Sinner found the edge with his fifth break of the match to set up what he expects to be a tough semi-final against high-flying Draper.
"We know each other very well, we are good friends off the court," Sinner said of Draper.
"It's going to be very tough - I'm just happy to be in the semis."
Data Debrief: Sinner becomes the outright favourite
Sinner is the lone major champion remaining in the draw as he chases a second grand slam title and his first at Flushing Meadows.
In the past 20 years, 11 grand slams have seen one former major winner reach the men's singles semis. That player has gone on to win the event nine times, with Rafael Nadal (French Open, 2005) and Andy Murray (US Open, 2012) the exceptions.
Since 1990, Sinner (23 years, 19 days) is the second-youngest player to reach the semis at the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami and the US Open in a calendar year, after Nadal (22y 93d) in 2008.
Jessica Pegula advanced to her first-ever major semi-final, stunning Iga Swiatek in straight sets at the US Open on Wednesday.
The home favourite became the fourth American to reach the semi-finals of this year's tournament after Emma Navarro, Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe.
Pegula took advantage of the world number one's off-night, cruising through 6-2 6-4 in just under 90 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
There was little let-up for Swiatek, who lost her serve twice in quick succession at the start of the match as Pegula raced into a commanding lead, and the sixth seed recovered well after going behind in the second set to pull back in front.
And Pegula, who made just one double fault, and 22 unforced errors compared to Swiatek's 41, believes that was the difference in the quarter-final.
"I thought I played a really clean match, served pretty well, returned well," Pegula said.
"I feel like I didn't really do anything that bad and was able to kind of jump on her really early, and I think frustrate her.
"I was able to keep my level even when she picked it up in the second set."
Pegula will face Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.
Data Debrief: Righting wrongs
Going into Wednesday's match, history was not exactly on Pegula's side as she held a 0-6 record in her previous grand slam quarter-finals.
However, a quick start ensured that she claimed her 21st WTA top 10 win of her career - in the past four decades, only two US players have claimed more without reaching a women's singles final at a grand slam, though she will be hoping to avoid staying on that list.
Pegula is also the fourth American in the Open Era to reach the women's singles semi-finals at the Canadian, Cincinnati and US Open in a calendar year after Rosemary Casals (1970), Serena Williams (2013-15) and Sloane Stephens (2017).
Third baseman Matt Chapman and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a six-year, $151 million contract on Wednesday night.
Chapman, 31, will earn $25 million each season from 2025 to 2030 and additionally will receive a $1 million signing bonus in 2025.
He joined the Giants as a free agent in March, agreeing to a contract guaranteeing $54 million over three seasons. That deal gave him the right to opt out after 2024 and 2025. It included a $2 million signing bonus and a $16 million salary for 2024.
Chapman is hitting .247 and leads the Giants with 22 homers, 69 RBIs, 90 runs and 33 doubles. He is a four-time Gold Glove winner and has a .241 career average with 177 homers and 495 RBIs for Oakland (2017-21), Toronto (2022-23) and the Giants.
An All-Star in 2019, Chapman hit a career-high 36 home runs for Oakland and finished sixth in the American League MVP voting. He was traded to Toronto in March 2022.
Shota Imanaga threw seven no-hit innings and two relievers finished a combined no-hitter in the Chicago Cubs’ 12-0 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
Imanaga struck out seven and walked two over seven innings. He threw 66 of 95 pitches for strikes.
The left-hander, who threw a season-high 103 pitches against St. Louis on June 15, needed 25 pitches to get through the second inning.
Nate Pearson pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Porter Hodge a perfect ninth in the Cubs’ 18th no-hitter, the first since Zach Davies, Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel combined to hold Los Angeles hitless at Dodger Stadium on June 24, 2021.
This was the fourth no-hitter this season after complete-game efforts by Houston’s Ronel Blanco against Toronto on April 1, San Diego’s Dylan Cease at Washington on July 25 and San Francisco’s Blake Snell at Cincinnati on April 2.
Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong each had three hits, including a home run, and three RBIs for the Cubs, who collected 17 hits to win for the seventh time in nine games. Cody Bellinger also homered and Nico Hoerner added three hits.
Domingo Germán, who pitched a perfect game last year for the Yankees against Oakland, allowed seven runs and nine hits in three innings.
Winker’s slam powers streaking Mets
Jesse Winker hit a first-inning grand slam and the Mets’ bullpen pitched five scoreless innings in their seventh straight victory, 8-3 over the reeling Boston Red Sox.
The Mets completed a three-game sweep of Boston and have won 14 of their last 19 games to pull within a half-game of Atlanta for the third NL wild-card spot.
New York had just four hits after Winker’s first-inning slam against Tanner Houck, but relievers Alex Young, Huascar Brazobán and Danny Young induced inning-ending double plays in the fifth, sixth and seventh before Phil Maton retired Masataka Yoshida on a liner to strand runners at the corners in the eighth.
Francisco Lindor led off the game with a single and added a double in the fifth inning, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, tying the career high he set with Cleveland in 2018. He has also reached base in a career-best 33 straight games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Jarren Duran had two hits and an RBI for Boston, which lost its fifth in a row to drop to .500 for the first time since June.
Pham’s first homer with Royals the difference
Tommy Pham hit his first home run for Kansas City, a tiebreaking, three-run drive in a four-run fourth inning, and the Royals stopped a season-high, seven-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
Seth Lugo allowed one run and five hits in seven innings. He is one win behind Detroit’s Tarik Skubal and Atlanta’s Chris Sale, who are tied for the major league lead. Lugo is 11-1 with a 1.40 ERA in 15 starts with four days’ rest.
Kansas City closed within one percentage point of Minnesota for the second AL wild card spot. The Royals and Twins are both 4 1/2 games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland.
During the seven-game skid, the Royals had scored three runs or fewer in six straight games, the team’s longest such streak since Aug. 15-21, 2022. The Royals had scored two runs or fewer in five straight, their longest span since June 7-13, 2018.
Mike Pennel expects Aaron Rodgers to be "back with a vengeance" this season but struggles to split the 40-year-old from Patrick Mahomes, having played with both quarterbacks.
Rodgers joined the New York Jets from the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster trade last year, only to rupture his Achilles in Week 1 and miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
With Rodgers now fully fit, the Jets are expected to be a major force in the AFC when the 2024 campaign gets under way this week, as they look to halt a miserable run of eight losing seasons in a row.
Kansas City Chiefs tackle Pennel spent three years alongside Rodgers in Green Bay, playing 37 games through the 2014, 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Asked if he feels Rodgers has something to prove this year, he told Stats Perform: "Absolutely. I think that's why Aaron still does it. He's a highly competitive person as well.
"He wanted to succeed and with how the Jets were set up last year, it was very, very, very unfortunate how the season began and turned out because they were going to be a formidable team in the AFC.
"I know he's going to come back with a vengeance and he's prepared himself to do so. He has a lot in the tank.
"He learned from [former Packers and Jets quarterback] Brett Favre. So we've at least got about five more years of Rodgers, right?"
Pennel has plenty of experience of playing with generational QB talents, having also teamed up with three-time Super Bowl winner Mahomes through two separate spells in Kansas City, the first spanning the 2019 and 2020 seasons before he returned to the team last October.
Rodgers has thrown for 59,055 yards and 475 touchdowns in 231 games through his 19 years in the NFL.
Mahomes, meanwhile, has already accumulated 28,424 yards and 219 touchdown passes through seven years with the Chiefs, and just six as their starter.
Mahomes' 2023 figures of 4,183 passing yards and 27 touchdown throws were his second-worst since becoming the Chiefs' starter in 2018, after the 2019 campaign (4,031 yards, 26 touchdown throws), yet he still came up trumps when it mattered to lead the team to Super Bowl LVIII glory.
Pennel believes Mahomes' mobility sets him out from all other quarterbacks, but he struggles to split him from Rodgers, who he sees as having a huge influence on others to play the position.
"I think Aaron Rogers, he has crazy arm talent, you know, he was the innovator of the no-look pass and coming out of the gap on scramble and things like that," he said.
"Pat's just a killer, man. I'm telling you about his mobility, but gosh, I mean, I feel like he's like the Ricky Bobby of the NFL!
"He's got the first or his last, you know what I mean? He has a different switch."
Jack Draper swatted Alex de Minaur aside in straight sets to reach his maiden grand slam semi-final at the US Open on Wednesday.
World number 25 Draper has enjoyed a breakout tournament at Flushing Meadows, not dropping a set en route to becoming Britain's first US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Murray in 2016, and he carried that form into the last four.
The opening set featured three straight breaks of serve early on but it was Draper who edged that battle, dictating the tempo from deep and winning 84% of points behind his first serve as he took the opener 6-4.
De Minaur struggled to handle the 22-year-old's heavy groundstrokes as he gave up another early break in the second set, only to hit back to level things up at 4-4.
Draper, though, held his nerve after going 5-4 down, holding to love then immediately breaking to surge into a two-set lead.
He only improved from there and dominated the third set, producing one highlight-reel winner from his left hand after being forced to improvise with a series of lobs from deep.
Breaks in games five and seven brought up a chance to serve for the match, and Draper produced four outstanding points in succession to clinch his place in the last four, where he will face Jannik Sinner or Daniil Medvedev.
Data Debrief: Draper dominates again
For a player who had never previously gone beyond round two at any grand slam, the manner of Draper's progression at Flushing Meadows has been astonishing.
He has only dropped 36 games at the tournament thus far. In the last 40 years (since 1985), only Novak Djokovic (27 in 2016, 32 in 2012 and 33 in 2013) and Ivan Lendl (34 in 1987) have ever reached the men's semi-finals at the US Open while losing fewer games.
Karolina Muchova reached the US Open semi-finals for a second straight year by beating Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Muchova, who was felled in the last four by eventual champion Coco Gauff last year, missed the first two grand slams of 2024 after undergoing wrist surgery, before going out in the first round at Wimbledon.
The 2023 French Open runner-up made a blistering start to Wednesday's quarter-final, though, breaking at the first two attempts and needing just over half an hour to clinch the opener 6-1.
She then appeared to struggle with illness in the second set and was broken to love immediately after registering another break of her own, with two double faults thrown in along the way.
The world number 55 rallied magnificently, though, converting the second of two break points to immediately restore her advantage at 4-3 before receiving treatment courtside.
Haddad Maia sought treatment herself after appearing to be in distress during the very next game, but the stop-start nature of the contest did not affect Muchova, who sealed her 6-1 6-4 victory with a huge ace.
She will face either world number one Iga Swiatek or home favourite Jessica Pegula for a place in the final on Friday, with their quarter-final clash taking place later on Wednesday.
Data Debrief: Muchova's New York upturn
A trip to Flushing Meadows has proven to be just the tonic for Muchova following a difficult start to the year.
In fact, she is the first woman to reach the semi-finals of the US Open having arrived at the tournament without a single grand slam victory all season since 2020, when Jennifer Brady achieved the feat.
She is also just the second Czech player to reach the last four while winning all five of her matches in straight sets in the Open Era, after Jana Novotna, who did so in 1994 and 1998.
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