NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka said she felt “super proud” to win the US Open and claim her third Grand Slam crown with a thrilling victory over a gutsy Jessica Pegula in a rollercoaster final on Saturday.
World number two Sabalenka triumphed 7-5, 7-5 to add the New York title to her two consecutive Australian Open wins.
Pegula came down fighting, however, recovering from 0-3 down and a break point down to lead 5-3 in the second set before Sabalenka pulled ahead.
The 26-year-old Belarusian racked up 40 winners to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard-court majors in the same season.
“I remember all those tough losses in the past here and it's going to look easy, but you should never give up on a dream and keep trying, keep working hard,” said Sabalenka, runner-up last year and a semi-finalist in 2022 and 2023.
“I'm speechless right now. I often thought I was so close to getting the US Open title. It had always been a dream of mine and I finally got this beautiful trophy.
“I'm very proud of myself and also of my team.”
Pegula had arrived in New York with a title in Toronto and second place behind Sabalenka in Cincinnati.
He had won 15 of 16 matches on the North American summer hard-court swing.
“I would have liked her to have at least let me win a set. We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she is one of the best in the world,” said the American.
“She's super powerful and she's not going to give you anything. She can take the racket out of your hand.
“I'm glad I was able to stay there and continue taking advantage of the opportunities.”
Sabalenka thanked the crowd after slyly poking fun at the atmosphere she faced when she defeated New York-born Emma Navarro in the semi-finals.
“Honestly, thank you so much, guys. I've heard so much support. You've encouraged me through these good times, but of course I was hoping you'd encourage Jessica. It wouldn't be normal for you to encourage me,” she said.
'Two incredible weeks'
“Thank you so much for all your support during these two amazing weeks.”
Sabalenka lost the 2023 US Open final to Pegula's compatriot Coco Gauff and struggled to adapt during the early stages on Saturday as a series of errors handed the home favourite a 2-1 break.
But the powerful Sabalenka equalized immediately and broke again for 4-2.
The stadium, which was packed to capacity by 23,000, included sporting royalty such as Olympic 100-meter gold medalist Noah Lyles, NBA star Steph Curry and former Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Most were rooting for Pegula, but the 30-year-old was helpless against the relentless blows of the world number two, whose screams echoed beneath the closed roof of the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pegula, who had eliminated world number one Iga Swiatek and then fought back from a set and a break down to beat Karolina Muchova in the semi-final, held on for victory.
From trailing 2-5, she fought back to go 5-5 up, breaking Sabalenka's serve as the Australian Open champion served to win the set.
In a marathon 12th game, however, Pegula saved four set points, but not the fifth.
Sabalenka had unleashed 25 winners and committed 23 unforced errors to Pegula's nine and 11, illustrating a dramatic contrast in styles in the 60-minute opening set.
For the second straight match, Pegula was again a set and a break down, and a double fault allowed Sabalenka to take a 3-0 lead.
Incredibly, the 30-year-old came back to lead 5-3 before Sabalenka broke her serve in the 10th game as her opponent attempted to level the final.
Sabalenka kept her cool to claim victory when Pegula missed a long shot.
“If I can't have confidence in this, there has to be something wrong,” Pegula said of her performance.
“I'm a little upset. I feel like I should have done better and stuff like that. But I think that will pass with time.”
