Aryna Sabalenka sweeps Jessica Pegula in U.S. Open final, lesson learned

Aryna Sabalenka’s first thought upon becoming U.S. Open champion — as she dropped to her knees and then lay on her back on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court — was not about the final she just won.

It was about the matches she lost on the same court the previous three years.

Sabalenka beat American Jessica Pegula to win her first U.S. Open singles title after squandering a lead in the 2023 final and losing three-set semifinals in 2021 and 2022.

Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, prevailed 7-5, 7-5 over Pegula, a 30-year-old who made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The No. 2 seed Sabalenka, now a three-time Slam singles champ, said after the semifinals that she learned her lesson from 2023. In last year’s final, she won the first set but lost in three to American Coco Gauff.

“So many times, I thought I was so close to get a U.S. Open title,” Sabalenka said. “It’s always been a dream of mine. Finally, I got this beautiful trophy.”

She said she improved her ability to control her emotions. On Saturday, Sabalenka endured the pressure points playing in front of a crowd that was again mostly in her opponent’s corner.

“In those tough moments, I was just trying to stay strong and trying to remind myself that I’ve been through a lot, and I’m strong enough to hold under this pressure,” she said.

In the first set, Sabalenka led 5-2 before Pegula fought back to reach 5-all. Sabalenka then saved a break point to avoid allowing Pegula to serve for the set.

In the second set, Sabalenka won the first three games, then lost the next five. Pegula was broken while serving for the set.

“I wish she would have at least let me get one set,” joked Pegula, who lost another final to Sabalenka last month 6-3, 7-5. “She can take the racket out of your hands a lot of times.”

Sabalenka has gone 27-1 between the Australian Open (two titles) and the U.S. Open in 2023 and 2024, the best record in the two hard-court majors in a two-year stretch since Swiss Martina Hingis did the same in 1997 and 1998.

Iga Swiatek of Poland still has a substantial lead in the WTA rankings, but Sabalenka has become the most reliable player at the biggest tournaments. She reached at least the quarterfinals at her last eight Slams, and the semifinals at seven of those eight.

The next Slam is the Australian Open in January. Sabalenka will bid to become the first woman to win that event three consecutive times since Hingis from 1997-99.

Pegula was bidding at this U.S. Open to become the second-oldest first-time women’s Grand Slam champion in the Open Era (since 1968).

She made her Grand Slam debut in 2011 and won a total of one main draw match at her first 18 Slams through the 2020 Australian Open (eliminated in qualifying at 12 of those Slams).

Her persistence paid off in recent years. She reached six Grand Slam quarterfinals from 2021-23, then made her first semi and final at this U.S. Open.

“If I can’t take confidence from this, there’s got to be something wrong,” said Pegula, who will return to her career-high ranking of third. “To be able to be a Grand Slam finalist, I think that was kind of the last thing for me, right? I made a lot of quarterfinals, but can I make a semi, can I be a contender to actually win a Grand Slam? Looking back, I’ve lost to girls that pretty much won the tournament every time, so I know my level was right there. I think maybe I handled the moment a little bit better this year.”