Sabalenka fights back after slow start
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was simply too good for Jessica Pegula, rallying to win their US Open semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday night. The No. 1-seed moved one victory away from becoming the first woman to claim consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012–2014.
Sabalenka needed to dig in. After dropping the first set, she recovered to take the second and then closed it out on her third match point — after two missed chances — rocking back on her heels and screaming when it finally ended. “I had to work really hard to get this win,” she said, after improving to 8-2 against Pegula in their careers. “Hopefully I can go all the way again.”
How the match turned
Pegula played very clean tennis in the opening and closing sets, making just three unforced errors in each. In the second set her unforced errors spiked to nine, and Sabalenka used that opening to seize control.
- Sabalenka finished with more than twice as many winners as Pegula, 43-21.
- She saved all four break points she faced in the decisive set, the moments when the match felt biggest.
- On her first two match points she made errors; the third one finally clinched it.
Asked how she handled those tense moments, Sabalenka laughed: “I don’t know. I was just praying inside and hoping for the best.”
Serve, winners and momentum
Once a weakness, Sabalenka’s serve has become a weapon after retooling her motion with biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan in 2022. In her first two service games she produced an ace at 114 mph and winners at 109 mph and 117 mph — power that set the tone throughout the night.
Her run to this semifinal has included big results all year: she was runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open, to Coco Gauff at the French Open, and reached the Wimbledon semifinals where she lost to Amanda Anisimova in July. Earlier this US Open, Sabalenka won last year’s final in straight sets over Pegula; this rematch was far tighter.
What’s next: a shot at history
Sabalenka will play either No. 8 Amanda Anisimova or No. 23 Naomi Osaka in Saturday’s final. A win would make her the first woman in over a decade to win consecutive US Open titles.
“I will go out there on Saturday and I’ll fight for every point like the last point of my life,” Sabalenka said, showing how much the title means to her.
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Sabalenka fights back after slow start Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was simply too good for Jessica Pegula, rallying to win their US Open semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday night.
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