Jessica Pegula may be an admirable, 30-something workaholic, but Aryna Sabalenka is a screeching, hammering force of nature. That irresistible power, plus some acrobatic, nuanced shots, carried Sabalenka to a 7-5, 7-5 victory on Saturday, earning her a third major title and her first U.S.
Open championship. America’s chances in this tournament now reside with Taylor Fritz, who faces his own longshot final Sunday against top-ranked Jannik Sinner. “I wish she would have let me at least get one set,” Pegula said on court, after the match.
“She’s super powerful, she goes for her shots, she’s not going to give you anything. I was happy I kept giving myself opportunities.” It was a delightful battle, fought with real grit by Pegula.
But from the very first ball, this match figured to be on the racket of Sabalenka — the same as it once was with Serena Williams. Sabalenka has the sort of power to overwhelm most opponents, as long as her serves and groundstrokes are landing inside the lines. Those shots strayed long at times but went in just often enough in the pivotal moments, when Sabalenka produced a series of one-plus winners.
Sabalenka ended up smacking 40 winners, to go along with 34 errors. Whenever Pegula’s first serve went on hiatus, the U.S.
player did not stand a chance. Pegula hung in there as long as possible with the Belarusian star, converting first serves early and mixing up shots. Sabalenka handed her a series of unforced errors early, Pegula ripped .