Strong and passionate, Aryna Sabalenka dominates the U.S. Open final

NEW YORK — Whatever the antithesis of a poker face is, that's what Aryna Sabalenka has. The crowd and her opponent are aware of her frustration, and during Thursday night's agonizing start to two protracted semifinals, all five boroughs of New York may have understood it.

If nothing else, it seems agonizing, based on the racket Sabalenka once threw aside in despair. Additionally, she unwound the screams that seemed to come from deep within her. The daggers then flew up to her coaches, who were seated in the stands, from her eyes.

In the latter stages of a Grand Slam tournament, Sabalenka faced an unflappable American for the fourth time this year. However, Sabalenka was adamant about winning, unlike in the Australian Open final where she lost to Madison Keys, the French Open final where she lost to Coco Gauff, and the Wimbledon semifinals when she lost to Amanda Anisimova.

The defending U.S. Open champion let out a final, back-bending yell after defeating Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"I was so emotional. I thought, "Oh my god, there's no way that's happening." Just end this match, please," Sabalenka murmured. "I simply tell myself, 'Go into the next one, just one step at a time, don't worry about the past,' throughout the entire match."

The same may have been true for Anisimova, her opponent in Saturday's final, who also overcame a set deficit to defeat Naomi Osaka 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in a nearly three-hour power-hitting match that ended just before 1 a.m. Eastern time.

With the victory, Anisimova, 24, advanced to her second consecutive Grand Slam final and had another opportunity to erase the memory of her Wimbledon title match defeat against Iga Swiatek, which ended in a 6-0, 6-0 loss.

The American became the first person to defeat four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka this late in a major tournament after defeating Swiatek in the quarterfinals. Prior to this, Osaka had never lost at a major after making it to the quarterfinals.

Although the stakes are different for each of the two strong strikers, Saturday's matchup will be another encounter between them. After making it to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2022 and her first Grand Slam semifinal in 2019, Anisimova is reclaiming her position at the top of the game. After taking a mental health vacation in 2023, she has battled injuries ever since she returned.

A U.S. Open victory would be the climax of a summer that would change her life, but her run at Wimbledon propelled her into the top 10. Despite Sabalenka's major titles, she has good reason to believe because Anisimova has a 6-3 record versus the Belarusian.

On Saturday, Sabalenka may have more to lose. She has one final opportunity to crown a Grand Slam-caliber season with the U.S. Open.

With three Grand Slam victories, the 27-year-old is now the standard-bearer with more wins than any other woman on the tour this year, trailing only Venus Williams (seven), Swiatek (six), and Osaka (four) among current women. Think about: She is the first world No. 1 since Serena Williams in 2016 to advance to the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same season, which is unprecedented in a women's sport that has been notoriously unstable in comparison to men in recent years.

Whatever happens this weekend, Sabalenka will continue to hold the top spot. She would also become the first female to win the U.S. Open three times in a row since Serena Williams's 2012–2014 three-peat if she defeats Anisimova.

In women's tennis, it's hard to remain at the top for very long. Sabalenka dominates with powerful groundstrokes and will use an iron when necessary.

The repeat of the previous year's final, which Pegula lost in an equally heartbreaking manner, 7-5, 7-5, started out simply before veering off course. Sabalenka's typical heavy hitting and ability to mix up the depth of her shots helped her build a 4-2 lead in a quick 22 minutes.

Pegula, however, is as steady as a brick block and used to Sabalenka's scorching groundstrokes. She is also used to the pressure of performing in front of over 23,000 spectators who cheer her on at every little victory in Arthur Ashe Stadium. She wasn't intimidated, and a shaken Sabalenka gave Pegula a break back with her first double fault of the game.

Pegula tied the match at 4-4 thanks to excellent serving under duress, including a 105 mph ace, and then won the next two games to win the opening set. Pegula pushed her higher-ranked opponent deep in each game, but Sabalenka forced a decisive third set because of Pegula's several mistakes in the second set. Even though Sabalenka only won four points on Pegula's serve, the third set was so close that Sabalenka prevailed.

After that, Pegula stated bluntly, "That's tennis."

The match versus Anisimova, who outhit one of the top pure ball strikers in the game to win Thursday, will be fascinating because of Sabalenka's go-for-broke striking, as she finished with 43 wins to 27 unforced errors. Despite Osaka's remarkable 15 aces, Anisimova was superior—if not cleaner—on the court. As Osaka waned in the second-set tiebreak, she improved her game by stacking up 50 wins to 45 unforced errors.

Anisimova was given the opportunity to win her first Grand Slam championship and become the third American with a steely eye to defeat Sabalenka and win a trophy this year.