Aryna Sabalenka’s march to a third consecutive US Open title continued as she overcame local hope Jessica Pegula in a stunning display to reach the final in New York. The Belarusian overcame some early frustrations and raised her level when it mattered most to secure a 7-5, 6-2 victory and a 20th consecutive victory at Flushing Meadows. Sabalenka will surrender her world No. 1 ranking on Monday, but the victory over Pegula kept alive her hopes of ending the year with a Big “I was so desperate to win, I wanted it so badly,” said Sabalenka, who has now reached four consecutive US Open finals. “I have no complaints, I am very happy to release such good tennis.” Another defeat at the US Open against his old rival Sabalenka. The Belarusian denied third seed Pegula her first major in the 2024 final, while also beating her in last year’s semi-finals, although Pegula had won their most recent meeting at June’s Berlin Open. “The last time I played against Jessica, it was almost impossible for me to get the victory, so I’m very happy to play that tennis, in front of all of you,” Sabalenka said. aims to become the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open women’s singles titles. Only Williams and Chris Evert have achieved that feat in the Open era. Sabalenka has not tasted defeat in New York since losing the 2023 final to Gauff, but there were doubts about defending her title after a poor start to the tournament. After a strong start to the season that saw her win the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami in March, Sabalenka suffered a quarter-final loss at Roland Garros before a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon. However, he has found his form again, losing just one set en route to the final. In a tense first set, Sabalenka bristled with frustration early on as unforced errors crept into her game as Pegula quickly settled in and hit the ball cleanly. But eventually, the four-time major singles winner found her groove and, after striking decisively at 6-5 to take the first set, turned up the power. Pegula looked helpless as Sabalenka raced into the second set, with the Belarusian making 29 winners to her 12. The victory sees Sabalenka break the Open era record for most consecutive hard-court Grand Slam finals, with the 28-year-old reaching every major final on her favorite surface since the 2023 Australian Open.
