Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka won her first US Open title when she defeated American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a scintillating final on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday. Sabalenka, 26 years old, muscled her way through a stormy match under the closed roof, fighting back from a break deficit in both sets to win her third Grand Slam title, after two Australian Open victories.
Despite the roar of the New York crowd for Pegula, Sabalenka did not bat an eyelid as she broke in the game that decided the match. Pegula first timer in the Grand Slam final put up a good fight but was never really able to find a consistent answer to the unbridled power and precision coming from Sabalenka’s baseline.
Having lost the final of the US Open last year, Sabalenka held her nerve in the key moments, winning a tight 12th game in the first set after five set points. Although Pegula mounted a serious comeback in the second set, winning five consecutive games after trailing 0-3, Sabalenka leveled with a crucial forehand winner and broke Pegula once more to seal victory.
Overcome with emotion, Sabalenka celebrated the hard-won victory with her team and the crowd in high spirits.
