Finally, the Tiger reigns over the concrete jungle. After two semifinal losses and that agonizing defeat to Coco Gauff in the final last year, Aryna Sabalenka finally got her hands on the US Open trophy.
It was the New York crowd, as much as Gauff, that made the difference for Sabalenka last year, but here, against another American, Jessica Pegula, she handled the event much better and won 7-5, 7-5.
This is her third Grand Slam title, after two Australian Opens, and at 26, Sabalenka is becoming a truly complete player. Iga Swiatek may be world number one, but, aside from her Roland Garros stronghold, Sabalenka will be the favourite for the other three Grand Slam tournaments in 2025.
Modern tennis is sorely lacking in nicknames, but Sabalenka has a tiger tattoo on her left forearm and, with her impressive power and blood-curdling roar, it describes her perfectly.
Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open by beating American Jessica Pegula in three sets
Sabalenka paid tribute to defeated finalist Pegaula, who was cheered by her home crowd
Sabalenka lifts the trophy in New York – the third major title of her career so far
Traditionally, Sabalenka has signed her coach Jason Stacy’s bald head after every Grand Slam victory. For the final, they went one step further, as Stacy showed up with a matching tiger tattoo on his scalp – hopefully not permanent.
But what a job Stacy, Sabalenka and the rest of the team have done over the past year. Sabalenka has always been scarily talented and has been volatile and emotionally unstable.
Here, she kept her head in Arthur Ashe’s cauldron, even as Pegula came back from 3-0 down in the second set to lead 5-3.
She brought a lot to her game and it was her ability to change the pace of a point with a slice, to trigger a surprise drop shot or to charge towards the net that made the difference in this match.
A bouncing backhand overhead that fellow Tiger Tim Henman would have been proud of helped her turn the tide and get back to square one as Pegula served for the second set.
This leveled the score at 5-5 and from there Sabalenka stormed to victory.
She broke down in tears and planted a kiss on the field that was the scene of more near misses than any other in her career. Then she blew another kiss skyward for her father, who died in 2019.
“I often thought I was close to winning a US Open title,” Sabalenka said. “It was my dream and I finally get this trophy.”
Pegula fought hard, especially in the second set, but it ultimately wasn’t enough that night.
Sabalenka said after the match that becoming US Open champion was her dream
Pegula played very well, but the strength of Sabalenka’s game and the magnetism of her personality are such that the opponent can seem like a passive spectator to a one-woman show. The match rests on her racket; the energy of the fight pulses to the rhythm of her beating heart.
For Sabalenka, the year that began with glory in Melbourne ended with glory in New York. In between, there was the horrific death of her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, in March. Sabalenka recently said she regretted not taking a break from tennis after that tragedy, to take care of her mental health.
A shoulder injury before Wimbledon turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it gave her time to recover. She skipped the Olympics and arrived in America in much better shape, physically and emotionally.
Pegula said after her first Grand Slam final at the age of 30: “It’s been an incredible month for me. I had a tough start to the year and I managed to turn it around. I didn’t expect to be here in my first Grand Slam final. I’m really grateful for the last few weeks of tennis. I wish she had let me win a set!”
“She played incredible tennis on hard court. She can take the racket out of your hands, I’m glad I was able to fight and give myself a chance, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”
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