Sabalenka handles Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to reach fourth consecutive US Open final

Aryna Sabalenka is her toughest critic. While the 28-year-old Belarusian was ranke

d #1 for the past 99 weeks, she relinquished her crown yesterday afternoon when Elena Rybakina reached the penultimate round at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
This season, the two-time US Open defending champion has struggled at the majors. While she reached the final in Australia, where she lost to Rybakina in three sets, she did not reach the semis at Roland Garros or Wimbledon.

She has not won a title since winning the elusive Sunshine Double (Indian Wells & Miami) this past March and failed to progress beyond the fourth round during the summer hardcourt swing at the Cincinnati Open and the National Bank Open. Although she boasts an impressive 40/8 win/loss record including three titles, she often appears frustrated and fragile.

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While she won her first four matches in straights, she required three, including a deciding 10-point tiebreak to defeat the reigning Wimbledon champion, Linda Noskova.

Jessica Pegula from Buffalo, New York, has won two titles this season (Charleston & Dubai) and is ranked at a career-high of three. Her preparation heading to New York was impressive: final in DC (l. Eala), 4th round National Bank Open (l. Shnaider) and final in Cincinnati (l. Gauff).

The thirty-two-year-old was seeking her second final at the US Open, having lost in straights in 2024 to Sabalenka and, the year prior, fell to her in the semis. Sabalenka led the head-to-head 9-4, including three at the Slams. Pegula won two rounds in straight sets but needed three to dispatch the 31st seed Leylah Fernandez and the 26th seed, Emma Navarro.

Sabalenka served first and held easily to 15 with an ace up the tee and a monster serve out wide while Pegula struck an inside-out forehand winner and held at love. Sabalenka missed three consecutive first serves but held to 15 for 2-1 with an ace up the tee. Pegula hit her first ace but faced break point and deuce before leveling at two following two consecutive backhand errors from Sabalenka.

Sabalenka struck two additional winners, including another ace, and held to 30 while the world #3 made 4/4 first serves and held at love for three all. Sabalenka opened the seventh with a fantastic forehand down the line and, with two additional winners including an ace out wide, held to 30 for 4-3.

Pegula, serving with new balls and the support of the partisan crowd, held easily to 15 to level at four. Sabalenka opened the ninth with a brilliant crosscourt backhand pass but, with four unforced errors including a double fault, faced two deuce and break point before holding with a colossal serve out wide.

Pegula, serving to stay in the set, struck her first ace and held easily to 15 while Sabalenka opened the eleventh with her second double fault but held for 6-5 with two consecutive winners. Pegula dropped the opening point of the twelfth when Sabalenka crushed a crosscourt backhand and conceded the set 5-7 following two consecutive unforced errors.

Sabalenka served first in the second and held to 15 while Pegula made 4/5 first serves and held to 15 to level. Sabalenka donated her third double fault, but with her fifth ace, held to 30 for 2-1. Pegula opened with an ace but faced two deuce, four break points, and dumped serve when Sabalenka ripped an inside-out forehand return.

Sabalenka, serving with new balls, opened the fifth with her sixth ace and consolidated the break with an ace out wide and a remarkable forehand down the line. Pegula hit two consecutive winners, including her fourth ace, and held for 2-4.

Sabalenka missed three consecutive first serves but, with power and placement, struck three consecutive winners for 5-2. Pegula, serving to stay in the match, was unable to match her opponent’s pace and depth and conceded it when Sabalenka pummeled a crosscourt forehand.

Sabalenka silenced the critics and the noise in her head. It was an outstanding performance from the two-time defending champion. She played with purpose, controlled aggression, and a sense of urgency.

In order to three-peat in Saturday’s championship match, she will need to conquer a familiar and formidable foe – the newly anointed world #1 and reigning Australian Open champion, Elena Rybakina.

Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 10-7, including two of three this season: Rybakina prevailed in three in the Australian Open final, while Sabalenka triumphed in three in the final of Indian Wells and the semis in straights in Miami.