Overcoming her traumatic defeat in the last final, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka defeated the American this Saturday Jessica Pegula and won his first title US Open.
Sabalenka won 7-5, 7-5 in front of more than 23,000 New York fans who cheered Pegula on for her Grand Slam final debut.
The Belarusian prevailed in two fierce sets, full of plot twists, before collapsing in uncontrollable tears on the Arthur Ashe court to celebrate her third Grand Slam crown, after those at the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024.
Pegula had already lost to Sabalenka three weeks earlier in the final of the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. In any case, the American enjoyed her best performance in a Grand Slam tournament, in which she broke her quarterfinal barrier, after six failed attempts, against the world number one, Iga Swiatek.
At 30, Pegula was the oldest debutant in a major championship game since 2015, and she did so in front of a home crowd in her native New York. The success brightens a career that for years was viewed with suspicion by her father’s financial backer, tycoon Terry Pegula, owner of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
Sabalenka, for her part, established herself in Flushing Meadows as the most consistent tennis player of today in major tournaments. She also received a check for 3.6 million dollars.
With the exception of last year’s Roland Garros, where she bowed out in the quarterfinals, Sabalenka has reached at least the semi-finals in the last eight Grand Slams she has played.
In addition to her work to improve her serve and mental strength, the European has had to withstand the shock of the death of her former partner Konstantin Koltsov, a former ice hockey star, in an apparent suicide last March.
At the US Open, Sabalenka had been knocking on the door since 2021, having reached at least the semi-finals in four consecutive editions and falling just one set short of the title last year.
In that volcanic final, the world number two collapsed against the pressure of local gem Coco Gauff and the hostility towards her on Centre Court.
This Saturday, against another local player but in a less adverse atmosphere, the Belarusian showed that she had learned her lesson and controlled her emotions even after wasting four points to win the first set.
Although her errors, especially with double faults at key moments, gave her rival some breathing room, Sabalenka persisted and pocketed the set on the brink of the tiebreak.
Pegula quickly found herself 3-0 down in the second set but, just as she had done in the semi-final against Karolina Muchova, she launched a fearless comeback by stringing together the next five games.
The local player served for the second set, but Sabalenka stopped the reaction and sealed the victory before living her moment of redemption in New York celebrating with her team in the stands amidst applause from the spectators.
On Sunday, the United States will have another chance to crown a home-grown champion in the men’s final.
Taylor Fritz will face Italian ATP number one Jannik Sinner, aiming to become the first local player to win a men’s final since 2003.
Source: Ambito
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