Sabalenka beats Pegula to win thrilling match at US Open

Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winning the US Open women’s singles final against Jessica Pegula. (AP photo)

NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open and her third Grand Slam title on Saturday with a thrilling victory over fearless Jessica Pegula in a thrilling final.

World number two Sabalenka triumphed 7-5, 7-5 to add the New York title to her consecutive Australian Open victories.

Pegula, however, went down fighting and came back from 0-3 and a break point deficit to take a 5-3 lead in the second set before Sabalenka broke through.

The 26-year-old Belarusian has won a whopping 40 tournaments, making her the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hardcourt majors in the same season.

Sabalenka lost the 2023 US Open final to Pegula’s compatriot Coco Gauff. On Saturday, she struggled to settle in the early stages, as a series of errors gave the home favorite a 2-1 lead.

But the strong Sabalenka immediately equalized and broke through again: 4-2.

The 23,000 capacity crowd included sports stars such as Olympic 100-meter gold medalist Noah Lyles, NBA star Steph Curry and former Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton.

Most backed Pegula but the 30-year-old was defenceless against the relentless attacks of the world number two, whose screams echoed beneath the closed roof of the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Pegula, who had knocked out world number one Iga Swiatek and then came from a set and a break down to beat Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals, held on.

She came back from 2-5 down and hit back to make it 5-5, breaking Sabalenka as the Australian Open champion served for the set.

However, in the twelfth match, which was a marathon, Pegula managed to save four set points, but not the fifth.

Sabalenka had scored 25 winning goals and committed 23 unforced fouls, while Pegula had nine and 11 points, in a marked contrast in playing style in the 60-minute opening match.

For the second match in a row, Pegula quickly found himself set-and-break behind again, as a double fault allowed Sabalenka to take a 3-0 lead.

Incredibly, the 30-year-old came back to lead 5-3 until Sabalenka saw the break in the 10th game as her opponent tried to level the final.

Sabalenka held her nerve to claim victory when Pegula hit the ball wide with a tiring drive.