NEW YORK — Moments after winning her third Grand Slam singles title, and first at the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka fell to the ground with her hands covering her face.
She had just defeated American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in front of a partisan and star-studded crowd Saturday under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a markedly different scene from a year ago, when Sabalenka squandered a one-set lead over Coco Gauff, another American, in the US Open final and walked away with the runner-up trophy. And even the two years before that, when she lost in the semifinal round in 2021 and 2022.
The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka, from Belarus, couldn’t help but acknowledge her past when addressing the crowd during the trophy ceremony.
“Oh, my God. I’m speechless right now,” said Sabalenka, 26. “So many times, I thought I was so close to get a US Open title. It’s been a dream of mine. Finally, I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot.”
Playing in her 100th career major match, Sabalenka became the sixth different woman to win the US Open after losing in the final the previous year, and first since Serena Williams in 2012.
She also moved into fourth place among active WTA players for the most Slam singles titles, behind only Venus Williams (7), Iga Swiatek (5) and Naomi Osaka (4).
Sabalenka needed to dig deep and raise her level during the match, which saw both players take control at various points. In the opening set, Sabalenka raced out to a 5-2 lead before Pegula found her rhythm and rattled off the next three games.
Once the set reached 5-all, it was Sabalenka who found her momentum. She won the next five games to win the set and take a 3-0 lead in the second.
But Pegula, who was playing in her first major final, wasn’t done fighting. The No. 6 seed went on a five-game run of her own, and a deciding set looked all but certain. But Pegula couldn’t quite finish the job. Serving at 5-4, she allowed Sabalenka to level the set with a break.
“I was kind of getting ready for the third set. [Thinking] at least like, ‘You’ll be confident on your serve in the third set,’ and then I held my serve. I put so much pressure on her [in] that serving game at 5-4, and I’m really glad I was able to break her back,” Sabalenka said.
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