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NEW YORK – Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a thrilling U.S. Open final on Saturday to claim her first Flushing Meadows title and the third Grand Slam of her career.
Sabalenka, 26, from Belarus, adds this trophy to the two she has won at the Australian Open in each of the past two seasons, also on hard courts. She is the fifth different woman to win both the Australian Open and the US Open in the same year since 1988, when the Australian Grand Slam moved to hard courts.
The win allowed her to leave Arthur Ashe Stadium in a much better mood than when she finished runner-up to Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open. Sabalenka is the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012 to win the US Open after losing in the final the previous year.
The sixth-seeded Pegula, a 30-year-old New York native whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, was appearing in her first Grand Slam final. She had lost six games in the major quarterfinals until she knocked out top-seeded Iga Swiatek in that round on Wednesday.
She has won 15 of her past 17 matches over the past month but both losses came to Sabalenka in the tournament final.
Second seed Sabalenka appeared to be in complete control of the match as she won five straight games to take the opening set and lead 3-0 in the second before sixth seed Pegula added to the drama. In the next game Pegula squandered a point and showed her frustration by hitting the ball against the video wall behind the baseline, dislodging a small square board.
Perhaps it was a relief for the 30-year-old American, as Pegula suddenly imposed herself, using a long five-game service game. But when she served at 5-4 with a chance to force a third set, Pegula allowed Sabalenka to level the score in the second set with a break.
It was part of a three-game series that ended the match in Sabalenka’s favor, who quickly collapsed on the court, dropping her racket and covering her face with both arms while lying on her back.
Sabalenka closes out the Grand Slam calendar having won 37 of the 40 sets she has played at Grand Slams this season (92.5%) – the highest percentage of sets won by any woman at a Grand Slam in a year since Justine Henin in 2007 (played at least 30 sets).
The final was played under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium after rain earlier in the day. Stephen Curry, Noah Lyles, Lewis Hamilton, Tina Fey, Anna Wintour and Andy Roddick, the last American man to win a major, were among those in attendance.
ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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