Tophavoritin Aryna Sabalenka has reached the endgame of the US Open for the third time in a row and can hope for the defense of the title. After a disappointing first set, the world ranking listen in the semifinals made the new edition of the previous year’s final against the American Jessica Pegula and prevailed 4: 6, 6: 3, 6: 4.
“I’m just super happy to be back in the final. It was really a heavy match. I had to work hard for this victory,” said Sabalenka. After the final won in two tight sentences in 2024 against Pegula, the Belarussin may now hope for her second US Open title and her fourth Grand Slam triumph.
In the final, the top seeds will meet the American Amanda Anisimova or Naomi Osaka from Japan on Saturday. “I will go out and fight for every point as if it were the last in my life,” she announced.
Sabalenka this year without a Grand Slam title
Sabalenka can crown her season after two final defeats at the Australian Open and the French Open and the semi-finals in Wimbledon with a Grand Slam trophy. In 2023 she missed the successful completion in New York against Coco Gauff (USA).
Against the 31 -year -old Pegula, the first set ended after an initial lead in frustration. At first the 27-year-old top favor Sabalenka was 4-2 ahead. But the Belarussin let her opponent come back into play with avoidable mistakes. Pegula heated up the audience with her catch -up and secured sentence one.
Tight match in the third set
Then Sabalenka increased her level. With quick breaks, the favorite started in sentences two and three. As she controlled the second round, she had to fight several times in the third to hold her leadership. With twice as many direct point gains (42), Sabalenka prevented that Pegula (21) was able to reciprocate for the defeat in 2024.
Sabalenka had not contested a match since Sunday. In the quarter -finals she had continued without a fight because the Czech Markéta Vondroušová had withdrawn at short notice because of a knee injury.
