Completely exhausted, but overjoyed: Aryna Sabalenka is happy about her triumph at the US Open © APA / MATTHEW STOCKMAN

Sabalenka wins US Open in nerve-wracking thriller

Aryna Sabalenka fell onto her back, put her hands over her face and remained there for several seconds. The top favorite won the US Open for the first time and ended Jessica Pegula's dream of a surprise title in front of her home fans.

September 08, 2024

From: dpa

Aryna Sabalenka has won the US Open for the first time in her career. The world number two from Belarus beat the American 7:5, 7:5 in a thrilling final and celebrated her third Grand Slam triumph. The 30-year-old Pegula held her own for a long time in the first Grand Slam final of her career, but deservedly had to admit defeat to Sabalenka's aggressive style.

In front of celebrities such as Formula 1 record world champion Lewis Hamilton, Olympic sprint champion Noah Lyles and basketball superstar Stephen Curry, Sabalenka prevented a similar sporting slump as last year. The two-time Australian Open winner was also on course for victory in the 2023 final against US crowd favorite Coco Gauff, but lost the title in three sets. She gave away a 3-0 lead in the second set, but fought back after being 3-5 behind and kept her nerve this time. After 1:53 hours, Sabalenka converted her second match point.

Atmospheric atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium

When Pegula entered the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, she took the large headphones off her ears and soaked up the atmosphere and the cheers of the more than 23.000 spectators under a closed roof. "She plays very strong tennis, plays very fast and aggressively," Sabalenka warned her opponent shortly before the match began.

The final was also attended by numerous prominent guests, including sprinter Noah Lyles (left), F1 driver Lewis Hamilton (centre) and British journalist Anna Wintour (right). © APA/afp / KENA BETANCUR

And Pegula demonstrated these qualities right from the start. In the semi-finals, she had a disastrous start against the Czech Karolina Muchova and was 1:6, 0:2 behind at one point. Now she took Sabalenka's serve early on to make it 2:1. But the Belarusian was not put off at first. With her powerful tennis, she dominated the rallies, scored many points with direct winning shots, repeatedly went successfully to the net and led 5:2.

Audience encourages Pegula

But when the score was 5:3 and Pegula had a break point, the crowd applauded loudly after Sabalenka made a mistake on her first serve. Sabalenka wobbled and thundered her next forehand far out. The tension rose, the atmosphere became increasingly heated. Sabalenka tried to use this mentally to her advantage, encouraging the crowd to cheer even louder after a brilliant shot.

Jessica Pegula fought back strongly, but was ultimately unsuccessful. © APA/afp / CHARLY TRIBALLEAU

When Pegula hit a light backhand into the net at 5:6, four-time NBA champion Curry threw his hands over his face in horror. A little later, Sabalenka secured the win in the first set with a break. And the favorite didn't let up. She immediately took Pegula's serve again, and she threw her racket to the ground in disappointment. Sabalenka was leading 3:0 and had a break point - was everything clear? Not at all, Pegula fought back once again. Suddenly the American was ahead 5:3 and started to tremble in turn. The underdog didn't win any more games - when her forehand sailed out, her dream of the title was over.