Aryna Sabalenka beats Amanda Anisimova to retain U.S. Open title

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – Aryna Sabalenka beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) in the U.S. Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday.

The No. 1 seed prevailed over the No. 8 seed in a tense match that was even less straightforward than the scoreline, ultimately decided by a second-serve point battle, Sabalenka’s superior nerve management, and the balance of risk and reward in both players’ games.

It is Sabalenka’s second consecutive U.S. Open title and her fourth Grand Slam title, cementing her place at the top of the world rankings.

“This is crazy. All those tough lessons. I am speechless right now,” Sabalenka said. “First of all, I want to say congrats, Amanda, for reaching back-to-back finals on the slams.

“I know how much it hurts, losing in finals, but the moment you win your first one, (you will understand). You’re going to win it; you play incredible tennis. Congrats to you and your team. And, girl, you’re going to enjoy it even more after these tough losses in the finals.”

Sabalenka’s most recent Grand Slam final, the French Open loss to Coco Gauff, was defined in part by how stressed the world No. 1 got in pressure situations. Sabalenka is outwardly expressive and so often teeters close to the edge of when the standards she sets for herself start to become counterproductive.

She teetered on that edge here when she was broken for 3-2 in the first set. Frustrated, she thought about smacking a ball away in frustration but decided better of it. Had she shown her opponent and the crowd how annoyed she was, it might have lit a fuse on Ashe and brought back memories of her unraveling in Paris.

Instead, she kept her cool and won the next four games to take the opening set. Having made three unforced errors in the first five games of the match, she made none in the next four. And after three forced errors in the fifth game alone, Sabalenka made only two in the rest of the set.

Anisimova started spraying errors after being locked in early herself, so Sabalenka was one part of a two-player exchange. But as Sabalenka found (to her cost) against Gauff, sometimes being solid is enough in a Grand Slam final.

She displayed it again after the most devastating possible blow, being broken when serving for the title, including missing a smash just one winner away from the championship point. Sabalenka got to a tiebreak, where she has been so dominant this year, and locked down again for the win.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out and supporting me at my home slam all of the two week,” Anisimova said. “It’s been an incredible fortnight. I absolutely love playing here; it’s always been a dream of mine to play in the final of the U.S. Open, so a big thank you to everyone who has made this happen.”