In the US Open Women’s final, Aryna Sabalenka made her breakthrough for the second time in a row and won for the first time after defeating Jessica Pegula in straight sets 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday.
Sabalenka was unable to overwhelm Pegula with her serve and groundstrokes as she did in her semifinal win over Emma Navarro on Thursday. But her confident hitting and powerful stroke neutralized an excellent defensive performance from Pegula, who frustrated Sabalenka with her returns.
After winning a tough first set in which she showed some frustration at not being able to beat Pegula, Sabalenka looked like she would easily move into the second set and took a 3-0 lead.
Pegula seemed at times to have no answer to Sabalenka’s powerful serve and forehand, but her defensive efforts kept her in the match, even if it didn’t show on the scoreboard.
But then Pegula fought back. After holding serve to make it 3-1, she broke Sabalenka’s serve to make it 3-2. Suddenly she was back in the set and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd – made even louder by the closed roof – was firmly on her side.
Although Pegula occasionally appeared nervous, complaining that her rackets “felt dead” – perhaps because of the conditions created by the closed roof – and unable to gain an advantage against Sabalenka’s power, she held serve and leveled the set at 3-3. She then broke Sabalenka’s serve to take a 4-3 lead and the match seemed unlikely to go into a third set.
Pegula won five games in a row and looked like she was in control of the match. Sabalenka then made the move of the match with a no-look cross-court backhand with her back to the net and just out of Pegula’s reach that won the point.
Sabalenka then broke Pegula’s serve to level the set at 5-5. This seemed to help her regain her confidence and once again assert herself with power on serve and forehand to maintain her lead at 6-5.
Finally, Sabalenka managed to break Pegula’s serve with two blistering forehands that the American could barely reach. Pegula’s second return was long, giving Sabalenka a match point, a 7-5 win and her first US Open title.
With this victory, the Belarusian secures her third Grand Slam title, in addition to the two Australian Opens she has already won.
Here’s what Saturday’s events in the women’s singles final of the 2024 US Open looked like in Yahoo Sports’ live match blog:
Live26 updates
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Sabalenka wins second set 7:5
Sabalenka breaks Pegula’s serve and hits two fiery forehands that the American struggles to catch. The second return goes too long and Sabalenka wins 7-5.
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Sabalenka maintains 6:5 lead
Once again, Sabalenka’s power on serve and forehead shot forced Pegula onto the defensive. This was perhaps the decisive game of this second set. But Pegula is now on serve.
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Sabalenka breaks serve
Sabalenka seemed to get frustrated as the second set slipped away from her. But two break points in a row leveled the match at 5:5. Sabalenka is now serving and will see if she can fend off Pegula’s best performance.
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Unusual but effective shot for Sabalenka
With her back to the net, Sabalenka hits a backhand cross-court return that lands just outside Pegula’s reach. She didn’t even see where the shot went. A wonderfully athletic move that allows her to hold.
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Pegula wins 5 games in a row
On her second serve, Pegula makes a double fault, the ball goes into the net and she crouches down, apparently thinking she has been hit by one.
But Sabalenka no longer hits the ball as precisely as she used to and the mistakes pile up. Pegula takes the lead 5:3.
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Pegula leads 4:3
After Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead and moved towards a 4-0 lead, Pegula broke Sabalenka and moved to 4-3. She is now serving.
This match could go into a third set, which would be a surprising turn of events.
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Pegula holds his serve for a 3-3 draw
Sabalenka hits her backhand return long and Pegula holds her serve to level the set at 3-3.
Can Sabalenka regain some momentum on serve? Pegula is back in full force in this match.
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Pegula was caught on the microphone complaining about her thugs
Between games, ESPN microphones recorded Pegula telling coaches that her rackets “feel dead.” Perhaps the conditions with the roof down are affecting Pegula’s feel and the way she can play the ball from the hard court.
However, she has the chance to tie the set on serve.
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Pegula strikes back
After finally winning a game by holding serve, Jessica Pegula breaks Aryna Sabalenka and has now closed the set 3-2 when it looked like Sabalenka could easily get through.
Pegula is serving now.
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Pegula begins to weaken
Pegula seems to be in trouble. Sabalenka is gaining momentum on her way to a 3-0 lead. Pegula needs to hold serve here to stay in the match.
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Sabalekna holds out and takes a 2-0 lead
Pegula’s behavior is starting to suggest that she is holding out in this match, but despite her best defensive efforts, she cannot break Sabalenka’s serve.
She leads 2-0 and seems to gain confidence in this second set.
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Sabalenka wins the first set 7:5
Sabalenka breaks Pegula and wins the first set 7:5.
Pegula fought back hard and got to 5-5, but Sabalenka came through with excellent shots. Pegula threw her racket away in some frustration, knowing she was playing well but not getting the results she wanted.
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Pegula let one escape
Pegula had a chance to hold her serve and Sabalenka threw herself in the wrong direction to return. But she hit the ball into the net and knew she had missed a point she should have won.
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Sabalenka maintains 6:5 lead
Pegula fought back to 5:5, cheered on by the supporting crowd. Sabalenka also has her fans and once called out to cheer.
And Sabalenka holds with a beautiful backhand, wins the point and takes the lead 6:5.
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Sabalenka appears somewhat frustrated
After Sabalenka hits a return into the net, she hits her racket on the ground several times. The crowd reacts to her frustration. But she is still on her serve at 5-5.
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Pegula breaks Sabalenka’s serve
Big breakthrough from Pegula, slowing down Sabalenka’s run.
She gets to 5:4 and takes the lead on serve.
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Sabalenka takes the lead 5:3
Pegula is not as overwhelmed by Sabalenka’s power as Emma Navarro was in the women’s semifinals, but Sabalenka often forces her to defend against strong serves and returns.
Once again the crowd shows great support for Pegula.
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Crowd tries to help Pegula
As expected, the crowd is on Pegula’s side, cheering the American on. This may be an incentive, but Sabalenka holds her serve and takes a 5-2 lead in the first set.
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Sabalenka misses stop ball
With Pegula playing far back to keep up with Sabalenka’s shots, Sabalenka tries a drop shot. But she’s back at the baseline and doesn’t have enough power to get the ball over the net. A pretty funny move, but probably not a costly mistake.
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Sabalenka holds serve and leads 3-2
Sabalenka begins to show her power. While Pegula keeps up with her serve and returns, Sabalenka gains confidence as she hits the ball harder and with more precision.
