Aryna Sabalenka Secures Third Grand Slam with US Open Victory

Aryna Sabalenka secured her first US Open title, overcoming the disappointment of her 2023 final loss to Coco Gauff. The Belarusian second seed claimed a thrilling 7-5, 7-5 victory over American Jessica Pegula earning her third Grand Slam title and continuing her dominance on hard courts with an unbeaten streak of 14 matches at major tournaments.

Sabalenka celebrated her victory by hugging her team and jokingly slapping her coach Jason Stacy, who sported a replica of her tiger tattoo. Reflecting on her journey, Sabalenka expressed pride in her perseverance and hard work crediting her mental resilience built through working with a psychologist for overcoming emotional struggles that once plagued her game.

Despite facing a partisan crowd supporting Pegula, Sabalenka managed to recover from a 5-3 deficit in the second set, fighting back to seal the win in one hour and 53 minutes. Pegula, playing in her first Grand Slam final continues her search for a major title. In 2024, Sabalenka faced injury setbacks including a shoulder issue that forced her out of Wimbledon.

She quickly rebounded by winning consecutive titles including a victory over Pegula at the Cincinnati Open. Aryna Sabalenka is now the first player to win both hard-court Grand Slams in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016. Her victory in New York sets up an exciting race for the year-end world No. 1 ranking, currently held by Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka’s emotional strength was further tested earlier in the year after the death of her former partner, Konstantin Koltsov, during the Miami Open.