Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) won the US Open title after defeating Jessica Pegula (USA) in the final by 2-0 (7:5, 7:5). The two showed the best of modern women’s tennis, but the Belarusian tennis player was more focused on the important points and for the first time in her career triumphed as champion in New York.
The 26-year-old Aryna Sabalenka was a finalist last year as well, but lost to Cori Coco Gauff. Today, she had another American as her opponent – Jessica Pegula, who for the first time in her career reached the final of a “Grand Slam” tournament.
On the way to the title, Aryna Sabalenka lost only one set – against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round. The tennis player from Belarus showed that she does not rely only on her serve and powerful shots from the bottom of the court. She improvised with short balls in knotty plays and was also almost flawless in going to the net.
The two-time Australian Open champion now has 50 Grand Slam victories on her favorite hard court. She is on a 12-match winning streak after losing to Amanda Anisimova in Toronto, and the balance against Jessica Pegula is 6:2.
The American can only be proud of her performance. Until now, she had never skipped the quarterfinals in Slam tournaments, but in New York she achieved impressive victories, losing only one set before the final, and among her “victims” was the leader in the world ranking Iga Swiatek.
Jessica Pegula will climb from sixth to third in the rankings. She emerged victorious in 15 of her last 17 matches, and the only two losses are to Aryna Sabalenka – today and in the final in Cincinnati in mid-August.
The final duel lasted an hour and 54 minutes. The two exchanged a total of 10 breaks, and Aryna Sabalenka’s big advantage was the significantly higher percentage of points won on the second serve. The Belarusian tennis player, second in the world, hit 6 aces, made 5 double faults and converted 6 of her 15 break opportunities. Aryna Sabalenka made more winners (40:17), but also more unforced errors (34:22).
Due to bad weather, the Arthur Ashe final was played with the roof down. Pegula quickly adjusted to Aryna Sabalenka’s bombshell serves and landed some impressive returns. The American made the first break in the match and led 2:1, but then Aryna Sabalenka made a series of 4 games in a row.
Jessica Pegula found an answer to the aggressive play of the favorite at the right time. The more power Aryna Sabalenka put into her punches, the more impressive her opponent defended. Jessica Pegula melted her deficit and leveled at 5:5, and in the next game, she reached a hidden set point. Aryna Sabalenka kept her composure and held her serve, shifting the pressure in Jessica Pegula’s half. The American this time bent and surrendered the set after a double fault.
The beginning of the second part did not bode well for the representative of the hosts. The loss of confidence in her game was in stark contrast to the winners from Aryna Sabalenka’s racket, which very quickly took a 3-0 lead and seemed unstoppable. Jessica Pegula fended off break points in the next game and gradually found the right rhythm.
Aryna Sabalenka let the situation out of control and the result was not only tied but became 5:3 in favor of Jessica Pegula. At that moment, the opening shot came to the rescue of Aryna Sabalenka, who broke her opponent’s streak and took the lead again. At 6:5, the Belarusian reached two match points and materialized the second, and then collapsed on the court with joy.
“I have no words to describe the emotion I feel. I have been close to the title here many times and I finally succeeded. This trophy means a lot to me”, said Aryna Sabalenka after the victory. “I worked hard and made a lot of sacrifices to achieve my dream. Now I’m really proud of myself”, added the new champion in New York.
Aryna Sabalenka earned 3.6 million USD in prize money and 2,000 world ranking points. She will remain in second position, after the leader in the world’s ranking Iga Swiatek (Poland).
Aryna Sabalenka is the first tennis player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same season.
