Follow live coverage of the U.S. Open finals here NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in the U.
S. Open final at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday. The No.
2 seed prevailed over the No. 6 seed in a tight, edgy match full of momentum swings and key moments. Pegula put Sabalenka under serious return pressure, but the Belarusian came through that — and the scar tissue of last year’s defeat to Coco Gauff on Arthur Ashe Stadium — to take the match and the title.
Advertisement It is Sabalenka’s first U.S. Open title, and her third Grand Slam title overall.
She is the only women’s player to hold two Grand Slam titles simultaneously this year, having won the Australian Open in January. The Athletic’s writers, Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman, analyze the final and what it means for tennis. How did Pegula’s returning frazzle her opponent — until it didn’t? Going into the match, two of Sabalenka’s main concerns were a hostile crowd and Pegula’s ability to hustle and get returns back into play.
In the first set, these two fears combined. Pegula produced an extremely effective returning performance, and the crowd feasted on it as she played on its energy. The combination seriously unsettled Sabalenka, and led the Belarusian from 5-2 up, to narrowly avoiding being 5-6 down.
Pegula had returned well all match — breaking in the third game — by the time Sabalenka came out to serve for the set at 5-3. The American No. 6.