Sabalenka Won Her First US Open in an Amazing Match
Sabalenka of Belarus won the US Open 2024 women’s title after a convincing win over Jessica Pegula of the United States. The 26-year-old only took two sets to wrap up her third Grand Slam final win.
Sabalenka: Build-up to the final
Sabalenka reached back-to-back US Open finals following her win over Emma Navarro in the previous round. The Belarusian tennis star overcame a tough American challenge. Navarro had the support of the home crowd. However, she was unable to match Sabalenka’s class and lost the match in two sets. Aryna reached the final for second year in a row. She lost to American top seed, Coco Gauff, in the 2023 final. She got another chance to win the US Open.
Jessica Pegula advanced to her first Grand Slam final after a three-set win over Karolina Muchova. The 30-year-old had never made it past the quarter-final stage of any Grand Slam. This was her biggest chance to win a Grand Slam. Pegula defeated World No. 1, Iga Swiatek, on her way to the finals. She carried a lot of confidence and the support of the home crowd.
Read Also: The US Open: Sabalenka vs. Pegula, Ultimate Road to Victory
Early domination winning the first set
Looking at Aryna Sabalenka’s form in the last 2-3 years, she was the favourite to win her first US Open crown. The 26-year-old made an excellent star to the match by winning the first set 7-5. However, there were moments when Pegula got the better of her. The American broke Sabalenka’s serve to take a 2-1 lead. Sabalenka broke Pegula’s serve in the next game. She then converted another break point to take a 4-2 lead.
Aryna was on a 5-2 lead before Pegula made a comeback in the first set. Jessica also managed to win her second break point of the match and tied the score at 5-5. Sabalenka was not going to give up and she managed to break for the third time to take the first set. Pegula saved four set points but eventually failed towards the end. The Belarusian was 1-0 up.
Read Also: The US Open: Young Energy Collides As Sinner Takes On Draper
Turnaround in the second set
Aryna Sabalenka started the second set in the same fashion. She broke Pegula early and was on a 3-0 lead. However, the American was not going to give up. She won five games in a row to take a 5-3 lead. Sabalenka knew that she couldn’t afford to drop another game. She made a remarkable comeback and won the next four games. The set ended 7-5 in favour of Aryna Sabalenka. She overcame the American crowd to win her third Grand Slam.
Read Also: The US Open 2024 Final: An Epic Match to Watch
Both players were excellent on the court. Jessica Pegula converted four break points, while Sabalenka ended up converting six. This was a two-set thriller that ended in favour of the 26-year-old. Sabalenka started the year by winning the Australian Open and ended it by winning the last Grand Slam of the year. Her win rate in hard court Grand Slams is just over 80%. She is capable of adding more Grand Slams to her trophy cabinet.
