Aryna Sabalenka cruises past Jessica Pegula and into the U.S. Open final The New York Times Sabalenka rolls past Pegula, will vie for three-peat in US Open final ESPN Michelle Obama, Al Roker, Hoda Kotb and More Attend t...
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NEW YORK - Aryna Sabalenka is headed back to the U.S. Open final.
After beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 on a dank, heavy night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka is one win away from her third consecutive title in New York. A showdown with Elena Rybakina , who will replace Sabalenka at the top of women's tennis Monday, awaits.
That would be a remarkable achievement. The U.S. Open is the hardest Grand Slam to defend. It comes toward the end of the season, when top players can be banged up or burned out and ripe for the taking.
Sabalenka's achievement would be even more stunning given her sub-par form of the past four months. She was nearly unbeatable in the first quarter of the year, but she has been eminently beatable since April. Often, she has beaten herself in big spots as much as she has let others beat her.
That vulnerable version of Sabalenka has largely disappeared since she landed in New York for her last shot at a Grand Slam title this year. That's the same position she was in a year ago, but that was after a year of losing mostly in finals.
"I feel confident and I feel mentally and physically really strong right now," Sabakenka said in a news conference after the win.
What a difference a week and six wins can make. Sabalenka was edgy and combative a week ago. After playing a liquid version of herself Thursday night in her favorite stadium in the world - she named her cavalier King Charles spaniel Ash - Sabalenka is basking in her annual joy of being in New York.
"I just love New York and I love being here, and I love the energy of the city," she said. "I think that's what drives me. That's what really inspires me and pushes me to keep going."
Rising this year seemed like a far-fetched concept for the world No. 1, who will no longer hold that position next week regardless of whether she wins Saturday's final. She has said that's just fine. Getting her hands back on this trophy is all she cares about.
That's how she played Thursday night, in front of a packed house of 24,000 people who were largely desperate to rally behind one of their hometown favorites.
Sabalenka barely gave them or Pegula a chance. The world No. 3 earned just one chance to break Sabalenka's serve in the first set, and Sabalenka snuffed it out quickly, with a big serve and a bigger forehand.
Pegula kept going, trying to use her flat power down the middle of the court. She was trying to get Sabalenka to miss, cutting off the angles that the defending champion uses to run her opponents out of matches.
This was so different from their last meeting in Berlin, when Pegula cruised through the set, delivering a rare 6-0 bagel to Sabalenka.
That was on grass, where Pegula's flat balls stay low and Sabalenka, who is six feet tall, can struggle to get down and get her topspin-heavy forehand under the ball.
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