NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka left the U.S. Open in tears 12 months ago as the runner-up.
She exited in the semifinals each of the two years before that. This time, Sabalenka was in a joking mood after winning her first championship at Flushing Meadows and the third Grand Slam title of her career. Sabalenka, the No.
2 seed from Belarus, fought past No. 6 Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking final under a closed retractable roof Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, adding this triumph to the two she earned at the Australian Open each of the last two seasons. “So many times, I thought I was so close to get a U.
S. Open title,” Sabalenka, 26, said. “It’s been a dream of mine.
Finally, I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot. “I remember all those tough losses in the past here.
” That includes in the semifinals in 2021, against Leylah Fernandez, and 2022, against No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Most poignant, of course, was last year, when Sabalenka was rattled by the Ashe crowd, blew a set advantage and was defeated by Coco Gauff.
Like Gauff, Pegula is an American, but the spectators were far more generous toward Sabalenka on Saturday, applauding her best efforts and even obliging when she waved her arms to ask for extra noise. Afterward, Sabalenka thanked the fans for cheering for her — which probably (wink, wink) was unrelated to her kidding offer of “Drinks on me” after an earlier victory. Pegula, a native New Yorker whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’.