Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat sixth-seeded American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the US Open women’s final on Saturday.
Sabalenka shrugged off the cheers of the home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to beat Pegula in the final game and win her first title at Flushing Meadows.
A year after failing to reach the final, the second seed came from a break down in both sets to claim victory and fell to the court in her moment of triumph.
Pegula, 30, had waited a long time to reach her first major final but could not match the raw power of her opponent despite the raucous support of the New York crowd.
The roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed due to heavy rain, and the players traded breaks twice as they settled into the stormy affair in front of a packed house of celebrities.
Sabalenka held serve for a four-point 11th game and fought through a breathtaking 12th game, mixing precision at the net with her usual power from the baseline before breaking her opponent on the fifth set point.
Pegula struggled with her racquets throughout the match, complaining to her coaches that she seemed unable to find the right tension on her strings, and it looked like she might not be able to fight back in the second set when Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead.
But the American found another level and had the fans on their feet when she won the next five games in a furious fightback.
Sabalenka equalized with a forehand winner that grazed the line on break point in the 10th game and looked to end the match quickly, holding serve and then applying pressure from the baseline in the final game.
Tears immediately flowed for Sabalenka as she won her third Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open twice, and she waved to her fans as she ran into the stands to share a joyous celebration with her team.