NEW YORK – World number two Aryna Sabalenka and world number six Jessica Pegula were the stars of the hard court season this summer. Now the two veterans are competing in the final for the second year in a row, this time for the US Open title.

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Sabalenka returns to the US Open final with a score to settle. The 26-year-old has been the most consistent and dominant force at Grand Slam hard court tournaments, but the US Open remains a hurdle. Last year she let a one-set lead slip in the final against Coco Gauff. This year she has reached her second Grand Slam final of the season and is now on an 11-match winning streak.

On the other side of the net will be New Yorker Pegula, who is playing in her first Grand Slam final at the age of 30. The American may not match Sabalenka’s Grand Slam prowess, but Pegula is unmatched on hard courts. After sitting out the spring with a back injury, Pegula has been in top form this summer, winning 15 of her last 16 matches.

That one defeat? Against Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open three weeks ago.

Here’s what you need to know about this thrilling US Open final:

When is the women’s singles final?

The women’s singles final will take place on Saturday, September 7, at 4:00 p.m. local time at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

What points and prize money are at stake?

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the season. By reaching the final, Sabalenka and Pegula secured 1,300 points and $1,800,000.

The winner receives 2,000 points and $3,600,000.

Pegula will return to third place in the PIF WTA rankings after the tournament. By reaching the final, she moves up to fifth place in the PIF Race to the WTA Finals and can even move up to third place if she wins the title.

Sabalenka will leave New York ranked No. 2 in both the PIF WTA Rankings and the PIF Race to the WTA Finals.

How did Sabalenka and Pegula get here?

Saturday’s final will feature the two best players of the hard court season. They shared the two WTA 1000 tournaments last month and have led the tour since the Olympics with 15 wins each. Pegula won the Toronto title, her second of the season, and advanced to the final in Cincinnati the following week, where she faced Sabalenka, who won in straight sets.

Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in January, has now won 13 consecutive matches at hard-court Slams. Since the start of 2023, she has won 26 of her last 27 matches at the Australian Open and US Open, losing only to Coco Gauff in last year’s final during that period.

Sabalenka dropped a set in New York despite being otherwise dominant in six matches. After defeating Priscilla Hon and Lucia Bronzetti, Sabalenka came back from a set down to defeat 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the youngest match start in US Open history. She then defeated Elise Mertens and Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals.

In her match against 13th seed Emma Navarro, Sabalenka kept her nerve in the final stretch and won her second consecutive US Open title with a 6-3, 7-6(2) victory.

Pegula was able to carry her momentum throughout the tournament, reaching her first major semifinal without dropping a set. After defeating Sofia Kenin and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first two rounds, Pegula easily beat 18th seed Diana Shnaider before defeating world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. The win ended a 0-6 drought in major quarterfinals.

In Thursday’s semifinal, Pegula overcame a 6-1, 2-0 deficit to defeat No. 52 Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her first major final.

What milestones are we talking about on Saturday?

Already a two-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is seeking her third major title, which would move her up to fourth place among active players behind Venus Williams (7), Swiatek (5) and Naomi Osaka (4). A win would give her her 16th career title and third of the season.

Sabalenka could become the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win all Grand Slam hard court tournaments in a single season. Only four players in the Open Era have achieved this: Stefanie Graf (1988, 1989), Monica Seles (1991, 1992), Martina Hingis (1997) and Kerber (2016). She could also become the fourth player in the last decade to win multiple Grand Slam tournaments in a single season, joining Serena Williams (2015), Kerber (2016) and Swiatek (2022).

Pegula is aiming for her first Grand Slam title and seventh career title overall. She won in Berlin and Toronto this year and a win would give her a third title this season.

Pegula could become the 10th American woman to win the US Open and the fifth since 2000, joining Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Gauff. She would also be the first Asian-American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.

Having already defeated No. 1 Swiatek in the quarterfinals, Pegula could become the first woman since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open to defeat both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to a major title. At the US Open, she would be the first to do so since Maria Sharapova in 2006.

After Coco Gauff won the title last year, a victory for Pegula would be the first time since 2001-02, when the Williams sisters won the title, that two different Americans have won the US Open in two consecutive years.

How do they compare?

Saturday’s final will be a rematch of the Cincinnati final, which Sabalenka won 6-3, 7-5. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head series 5-2. Pegula’s last victory came in the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Cancun last fall. That 6-4, 6-3 victory put Pegula into the biggest final of her career ahead of Saturday’s upcoming clash.

What do they say?

Pegula: “If you had told me at the beginning of the year that I would be in the final of the US Open, I would have laughed out loud because that was just what was in my head. I didn’t think I would make it this far. To overcome all these challenges and to be able to say that I have a chance at the title on Saturday is what we play for as players, not to mention that I can do this here in my home country, at my home Slam. It’s really perfect.”

Sabalenka: “I’ve had to learn really hard lessons here in the past. I think I’ve had so many chances here, but I didn’t take them for different reasons. I wasn’t ready. Then I got emotional. Then I just couldn’t handle the crowd. I felt like I just missed an opportunity and every time I come back here I really enjoy being in New York. I enjoy these courts, I enjoy the crowd, I enjoy playing in front of a crowd in this beautiful stadium. I enjoy the city, the time on the court.

“Every time I come back here I think positively: ‘Come on, maybe this time.’ Every time I hope that one day I can hold this beautiful trophy in my hands.”

Pegula: “Honestly, I always felt – not that it would never happen – I think almost the opposite. I always felt like I would figure it out eventually. That’s something I always told myself, I’ll figure it out eventually. I think that’s maybe just my quiet kind of confidence that I’ve always had.

Pegula: “Obviously she’s a really great hard court player, if not one of the best in the world, but I think I’m a really good hard court player too. She served incredibly well in Cincinnati and I felt like I still had chances in that match. So I hope she doesn’t serve as well on Saturday. Maybe a little less would be nice.

“But I think I know I can play a game that can potentially frustrate her. I feel like I just need to be aggressive like I have in the past, I need to get her moving, serve smart and try to put some pressure on her serve.”

Sabalenka: “I would say she’s playing her best tennis and feels like she’s back on track. She won the tournament, then she made it to the final and then she’s here, in another final. So she’s in incredible form. It’s going to be a great fight against her again. I can’t wait to play against her.”