US Open title is ultimate redemption for Aryna Sabalenka

NEW YORK — As the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheered enthusiastically, Aryna Sabalenka bowed her head and walked to her seat.

Coco Gauff lay on the court with her head in her hands, celebrating her first major title, and Sabalenka wondered how she could have lost in the final at the 2023 US Open, after winning the first set 6-2. She was gracious on the court during the loss, congratulating Gauff and smiling for photos, but when Sabalenka left the court, she slammed her racket on the floor repeatedly in the players’ room before throwing it in the trash.

Speaking to reporters later, Sabalenka vowed that the disappointing defeat could only help her in the future.

“It’s a lesson for me,” she said. “I will learn and come back stronger.”

On Saturday, 364 days and a rollercoaster season later, Sabalenka, 26, made good on her promise by beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to win the 2024 US Open title. It was Sabalenka’s third major title overall — and she became the first woman to lift the US Open trophy after losing in the final the previous year since Serena Williams in 2012.

This time, at the end of the match, it was Sabalenka who found herself with her head in her hands when she fell to the court. The only racket clash had occurred during a tense moment at the end of the first set, and this time, the tears streaming down her face were those of joy.

She couldn’t help but think about her heartbreak from 2023, as well as her semifinal losses from 2021 and 2022, after the match.

“I remember all these tough losses here at the US Open, and they say you’ll understand the reason later, but I understand it now,” Sabalenka told ESPN after the trophy ceremony. “I had to go through all that, (and) learn some tough lessons to be able to hold this beautiful trophy, and now I think I’m the happiest person in the world right now.”

Sabalenka, one of the best players on the hard-court tour, began the 2024 season much like her 2023 season did, with an Australian Open title. And while her victory in Melbourne in 2023 for the first major title of her career was a three-set battle against Elena Rybakina, this year Sabalenka quickly defeated Qinwen Zheng, 6-3, 6-2 for the title. Zheng admitted she was overwhelmed by Sabalenka’s level of play and characteristic power.

“She’s a very aggressive player,” Zheng said later. “If you let a chance (against her) go, it’s going to happen like today.”

It was also Sabalenka’s sixth consecutive major tournament in which she reached the semifinals or further, and it looked as though Sabalenka would remain one of the most consistent and dominant players heading into the new season.

Then tragedy struck.

Days before she was set to play at the Miami Open in March, Sabalenka’s former partner, Konstantin Koltsov, a retired professional hockey player, died in an apparent suicide while staying at a nearby hotel. Sabalenka, who has remained largely silent on the matter, became the center of a morbid news cycle. She remained in the Miami Open draw and was seen wearing all black during a crowded practice session on the court the next day.

“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and even though we are no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka said in a statement. “Please respect my privacy and that of his family during this difficult time.” She did not speak to the media during the tournament.

She won her first match against close friend Paula Badosa, who later called her a “very, very strong woman” and acknowledged how uncomfortable the match had been given the circumstances. Sabalenka lost the next round.

She then turned to clay, where she reached back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome. However, Sabalenka was struck down by a stomach virus at Roland Garros and lost in the quarterfinals, marking her first Grand Slam exit in two years.

In her first grass-court tournament, Sabalenka suffered a serious shoulder injury and retired in the first set of her second match. She tried to recover in time for Wimbledon – and was even present at practice at the All England Club in the days leading up to the start of the main draw – but was forced to withdraw before her first-round match. She said in a statement that she was “heartbroken” but insisted, as she had at the US Open, that she would be back and “stronger than ever”.

And with several of her top-ranked peers heading back to Paris for the Olympics in late July, Sabalenka had already opted out of the event.

“Especially with all the problems I’ve had in recent months, I feel like I need to take care of my health,” Sabalenka told reporters in June. “It’s too much for my schedule, and I made a decision to take care of my health.”

It seems to have paid off.

While she did not directly refer to Koltsov’s death Saturday at the U.S. Open, she said she “didn’t stop after some challenges in my life” earlier in the season and it took its toll.

“I kept pushing myself, and I think I reached my limits emotionally and physically, so it was really important to take a step back and recharge,” Sabalenka said. “That little moment with myself really helped me be fresher and more ready, and I felt like I was hungrier than ever this summer.”

While many other players have cited fatigue after the grueling summer schedule and multiple surface changes — and cited that as a potential reason why they failed to prevail in New York — Sabalenka didn’t have that problem. Heading into Saturday’s final, she was 15-2 on hard courts this summer in four events and had won the Cincinnati title in her final tune-up tournament.

“I don’t regret my decision (not to compete in the Olympics),” Sabalenka said Thursday. “I mean, it seems like it was the right decision, and I had a good rest. I had a lot of treatments, a lot of rehab and all that. Then I had a little camp before the hard court season. I was able to reset my mind and clear my thoughts and start all over again.”

During her run in New York, she had dropped only one set before Saturday and had held off a slew of seeded opponents, including No. 7 Zheng in the quarterfinals and American No. 13 Emma Navarro in the semifinals.

“Her forehand is obviously a tremendous weapon,” Navarro said after praising Sabalenka’s ability to raise her game in the most crucial moments. “I definitely felt that at certain moments today.”

In the final against Pegula, who won the Canadian Open last month and had been Sabalenka’s opponent in the Cincinnati final, Sabalenka took control in the bottom of the first set and won five straight games to take a 3-0 lead in the second. But Pegula didn’t give up, winning the next five games and looking poised to force a deciding set.

Remembering what happened last year in the third set and determined to finish it, Sabalenka said she dug deep into her emotional reserves and let her mental strength take over.

“I’ve been through a lot on and off the court, and I’ve learned to control my emotions and stay balanced on the court,” she later said. “And even when things aren’t going my way, I keep telling myself, ‘Come on, Aryna, you’ve been through a lot. It’s just a tennis match, and you can handle these emotions. You just have to focus on the things you need to do today to win this match.’”

Pegula, who called Sabalenka the best hard-court player in the world, also noticed.

“She played great tennis in great moments,” Pegula said.

At the victory ceremony, on the same stage where she stood in 2023 to fight back tears after her loss, Sabalenka was in the spotlight. She accepted her trophy — and her $3.6 million check — and posed for photos with a smile that wouldn’t fade. As she addressed the crowd, she couldn’t help but reflect on the past year and acknowledge the path that had brought her back to the same place — but in a completely different position.

“It’s going to sound easy, but never give up on your dream and keep trying, keep working hard,” Sabalenka said. “And if you really work hard and sacrifice everything for your dream, you will achieve it one day.”

“I’m super proud of myself. I never say this, but seriously guys, I’m super proud of myself. I’m proud of my team, no matter what happens, no matter what situation we’ve faced this season and in the past, we’ve been able to come through.”