Jessica Pegula’s answer said plenty. It reflected a growing tension in the opening week of the U.S. Open, a Grand Slam long known for its polished, high-end New York energy — and now seeing its cultural footprint expand as influencers, content creators and celebrity spectacle increasingly blend with the tennis at Flushing Meadows.

The $23 Honey Deuces. The TikTok clips. The blue carpet arrivals. The entire scene around the tournament. Madison Keys summed it up neatly when she called it the “big-show Grand Slam.”

Pegula is hardly new to that kind of stage. The No. 3 seed in the women’s draw, she has been one of the tournament’s central figures in recent years, reaching the 2024 U.S. Open final and the 2025 semifinals. After defeating unseeded Sofia Kenin in straight sets Wednesday, Pegula was asked about crowd behavior — a subject that drew fresh scrutiny this week after a chair umpire told spectators in a suite to sit down during Naomi Osaka’s match Monday, while viral videos showed ring lights being used to film influencers during play.

“I do think that it’s tough when you see videos like that when they’re taking pictures and using the selfie lights,” Pegula said. “People are down there trying to perform, and it’s their career and their job. It seems like a bit disrespectful. I think it’s gotten a little, maybe, too much, it feels like, this year. I don’t know.

“I think, again, I can appreciate one side of it, but I think when you have the other side literally interrupting matches, it gets a little tough.”

The video — and brief delay — in Osaka’s match captured some growing tension. It quickly evolved into a discussion point during the first official week of the tournament. 

But there’s a give and a take with it all. No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, who also cruised into the third round via straight sets Wednesday, said that “the more we try to raise awareness about tennis, the better it is, the more popular the sport is.”

But, he added, it can be challenging sometimes if a light disturbs the flow during the point. 

“Still, in general, the more the sport grows, the better it is,” Medvedev said. “So I would say this way: I trust USTA with what they are doing. … I think more, a lot of more upside than downside.” 

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The U.S. Open’s credentials for content creators nearly doubled from 54 to 100 this year, according to Sportico. In a statement to The Post on Wednesday, the USTA said it wants “our fans and guests to have an incredible time when they attend the US Open, but we also need to ensure that does not interfere with the action and competition on the court.

These instances happen infrequently, and similar to when crowd noise reaches a certain level, our chair umpires have the ability to address the crowd when they occur.” 

The presence of the U.S. Open on social media has shaped its modern identity.

Pegula has carved out a space in the media world, too, as one of four co-hosts — alongside Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk — on “The Player’s Box” podcast.

An article on the U.S. Open website earlier this month cited $1.2 billion in economic impact from the tournament annually. Around 1.14 million fans, a record number, attended last year. Fan Week has continued to soar. 

“I think I can appreciate, you know, the influencers coming and kind of showcasing, like, the U.S. Open experience,” Pegula said. “I think that’s something that the U.S. Open has utilized a lot as far as food and drinks and things to do and the shops. That part is part of a fan experience and something that people might not know and make them want to go.” 

The rise of the influencer space has directly contributed to that. It’ll only continue to do so over the next 10 days, too, as Pegula attempts to finally win an elusive Grand Slam title and Medvedev tries to emerge from the men’s draw as champion for the first time since 2021.

But the opening days of the tournament have also served as a reminder of the limits, of when the videos go too far and infringe on the sport itself. 

The flip side of the benefit has started to appear, too. And Pegula and Medvedev captured both sides of the emerging debate.

Authorities in Brooklyn are looking for a man accused of attacking a 90-year-old woman on a neighborhood sidewalk this week, an incident that was apparently captured on surveillance footage obtained by a local television station.

The violent encounter took place at about 9:47 a.m. Monday near 501 Brighton Beach Ave. in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach section, the New York City Police Department said.

According to police, the woman was walking when an unknown man came near her and hurled a piece of furniture in her direction, knocking her to the ground. The suspect then ran off on foot, and investigators said his direction of travel remains unclear.

Video obtained by News 12 appears to show the man moving along the sidewalk with what resembles a discarded baby crib packed with debris. Moments later, as the elderly woman passes by, he seems to lift the item and throw it at her. The impact sends her falling onto the pavement, while the suspect appears to walk away without stopping.

Emergency medical personnel responded and transported the woman to NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island, where she was listed in stable condition, police said.

Police have not identified a motive for the attack, and it was not immediately clear whether the suspect and victim knew each other.

The suspect remains at large.

The NYPD released a photo of the man investigators are seeking. He is described as wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white sneakers at the time of the attack.

Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity or whereabouts is asked to contact the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted online through the Crime Stoppers website or by messaging @NYPDTips on X. Police said all calls and tips will be kept confidential.

News Media has reached out to the NYPD for additional information about the investigation.

Aryna Sabalenka unveiled a fresh take on her much-discussed sheer dress at the US Open on Wednesday night, ensuring her on-court fashion remained a major talking point in New York.

The world No. 1 had already drawn plenty of attention at Flushing Meadows after stepping out in a black, basketball-style look for mixed doubles, with her vivid orange sports bra and coordinating briefs clearly visible beneath the see-through design.

Sabalenka, the two-time defending singles champion, followed that up with a similar outfit in Queens on Monday, swapping the black for a bold all-orange version as she opened her 2026 US Open campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Camila Osorio.

For her second-round appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, however, Sabalenka went back to black. This time, the entire look was coordinated, with a black sports bra and matching briefs worn underneath the sheer outer layer.

The Belarusian star appeared completely at ease in the latest version of her US Open outfit, quickly taking control against Russian-born opponent Polina Iatcenko and powering through the opening set 6-1.

After Monday night’s eye-catching orange look, Sabalenka explained the change was because sponsor Nike actually developed day and night versions of the outfit for her to wear during the tournament.

‘To be honest, I didn’t know that I have a day dress,’ she said. ‘I thought I have a black dress with orange underneath. I figured [out] when I went to Nike that I actually have day session and night session, which is just like black and orange for the day.’

Tennis fans were quick to slam the risque outfit that Sabalenka wore during the mixed doubles event with Djokovic, although she did not back down from criticism.

‘Who cares what people think?’ she told reporters at Flushing Meadows on Friday’s media day. ‘I love it,’ she added.

As she explained, her grand-slam outfits are inspired by the cities where the four tournaments are played.

‘Surfing for the Australian Open, ballet for Roland Garros, cricket for Wimbledon,’ she said. ‘Now it’s basketball and we’re in New York. Isn’t it the perfect fit?’

The outfit certainly set fans’ tongues wagging on social media, with one viewer writing: ‘How about that – Sabalenka leading the parade of streetwalker chic at the US Open with fishnet over shorts and a sports bra. Why does New York bring out all the trashy-ness?’ 

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‘This Sabalenka clown kit can’t be actually real,’ another posted as a third questioned: ‘What is this outfit on Sabalenka???’

Another asked: ‘What on f***ing Earth is Aryna Sabalenka wearing? The netting and the heavy tacky jewellery. Who put her in that?’

Sabalenka has been to the last three US Open finals, rebounding from a loss to Coco Gauff in 2023 by winning in 2024 and then topping Amanda Anisimova last year to repeat.

‘I feel like this is one of my favorite stadiums,’ Sabalenka told the crowd after Monday’s win. ‘I really experienced the best emotions here in this stadium.’

She must have certainly been happier with the level of tennis she delivered Monday, after a series of poor events coming into the U.S. Open. She was knocked out in the fourth round in both Toronto and Cincinnati, after being ousted at the same point at Wimbledon.

That has left Sabalenka needing help to retain the No. 1 ranking, even if she wins again in New York. No. 2 Elena Rybakina will pass her if she reaches the semifinals, and won’t even need to win any matches if Sabalenka fails to win the title.

Sabalenka once again completed her all-black ensemble on Wednesday night with a dazzling array of rare gemstones.

She partnered up at the start of the year with New York jeweler Material Good and has since debuted an eye-catching array of pieces in Melbourne, Paris, and London. 

In keeping with the bold style of the US Open itself, her necklace, bracelet and earring set for the Big Apple is particularly vivid, featuring an array of colored stones said to represent the city’s ‘multicultural melting pot heritage’. 

It is also her most expensive jewelry set, with the pieces valued at over $400,000.  

Sabalenka’s necklace is set in 18-carat gold, featuring 83.20 total carats, courtesy of its sapphire, tourmaline, garnet, zircon, spinel, chrysoberyl, and tanzanite stones. 

A matching bracelet, worn during her media duties, and stud earrings which can be lengthened feature similar stones, with the carats of the set as a whole totaling over 127.