World number two Aryna Sabalenka has won the women’s singles final of the 2024 US Open, defeating American number 6 Jessica Pegula in straight sets.
The 7-5, 7-5 victory marks Sabalenka’s first US Open win and her third Grand Slam title.
“Super happy,” is how Sabalenka described herself just a few hours after her victory at the US Open.
“This is a very special place here and a Grand Slam victory in New York,” the winner said in an interview with ABC News. Sabalenka said she learned a lesson from the 2023 US Open final against Coco Gauff – namely, how to excite the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka celebrates after winning her women’s final against USA’s Jessica Pegula on day thirteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 7, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
“After the experience last year against Coco, probably last year, I didn’t expect the crowd to be so loud,” she said, adding that during this tournament she “felt so much love, and that motivated me.”
Saturday was a kind of redemption for the Belarusian player. Last year she lost to Gauff in the final after the American fought back and won in three sets.
This time, Sabalenka came back in the second set after losing five games in a row to Pegula.
It is the sixth time that Sabalenka has defeated Pegula. Just last month in Cincinnati, the American lost in straight sets.
The 24,000 spectators were clearly on Pegula’s side for most of the game, and the closed roof created a lot of noise on the game’s biggest stage.
Pegula’s run at the US Open will not end with all bad news for her – in addition to the $1.8 million prize money, Pegula will wake up this Monday as No. 3 in the world, making her the best American tennis player on the tour.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Aryna Sabalenka (R) of Belarus hugs Jessica Pegula of the United States after defeating her to win the women’s singles final on day 13 of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 7, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Luke Hales/Getty Images
During her post-match press conference, Pegula said she was upset to lose the match, but also said she “played good tennis. It was just not quite possible to keep it going.”
Pegula added that she was touched by the number of her friends and family in the stands.
“A lot of my friends just said, ‘I’m flying in, I’m coming, I don’t care,'” she said, adding, “I felt like not only I, but my friends and family were taking this journey with me.”
On the court where she had just celebrated her first US Open victory, Sabalenka told ABC News that the moment she fell to the court after the championship point brought back so many emotions.
“I am just super proud of myself and my team that we had to learn so many hard lessons here in the past, were able to come back stronger and now finally hold this beautiful trophy in our hands,” said Sabalenka as she held the championship trophy in her hands.
A moment posted by the US Open on social media already shows what the 26-year-old describes as part of tonight’s celebrations. “We’re definitely going to have a few drinks. We need to feel that relief and we need to have fun.”
