MADRID, 8 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open on Saturday, the fourth and final ‘Grand Slam’ of the season, by beating the combative local tennis player Jessica Pegula by a double 7-5, in a very tough final that lasted almost two hours and in which the world number two removed the ‘thorn’ of last edition.
Sabalenka is in outstanding form, and her first US Open – the third ‘major’ of her career after the two Australian Opens in 2023 and 2024, the first to do so since Angelique Kerber in 2016 – is clear proof of this. In a final that had everything, great tennis, excitement until the end and constant changes in the score, the Belarusian, world number two, imposed her serenity and solidity in the key moments to take the title.
Pegula, number six in the ATP rankings, was a match for her, spurred on by a committed Arthur Ashe who showed one of her best versions. She came close on several occasions to extending the match and staying alive, but Sabalenka’s talent and power were key.
It all started very evenly, although both players lost their serves in the third and fourth service turns. Unforced errors were a burden for the favourite – up to 23 in the first set, compared to 11 for Pegula – but at the same time she maintained a high level in the winners, converting 25, while the local tennis player only connected 9, in a more conservative version.
The score was 5-5, but the Belarusian made no mistake with her serve and on her fifth break point she closed the first set after an hour of play. This gave her confidence and she started the second set sensationally, going 3-0 up without any doubts, but Pegula would not sell her defeat so cheaply.
The American’s excessive calmness and confidence allowed her to grow and she was able to add five games in a row to go 3-5 and almost achieve a miracle. But now the pressure was on the local tennis player, and it was noticeable, because it was then that the serenity of the ‘new’ Sabalenka appeared.
The favourite gradually built up a comeback and triumph, breaking Pegula’s last two serves to complete the victory in the title final, also 7-5 in the second set, and silencing Arthur Ashe, who until then had only supported his player. The victory comes after Sabalenka lost the title match in Flushing Meadows in 2023 against fellow American Coco Gauff.