By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 4, 2025Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty
NEW YORK—Stress spiked as Aryna Sabalenka skewered a smash into the net on match point.
On this night, Sabalenka dropped the hammer on anxiety with a stirring close.
Reigning champion Sabalenka slashed a forehand winner on her third match point fighting into her third straight US Open final with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jessica Pegula.
“I think I really played great tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I think I handled that pressure really well. I’m superproud of this win.
“Yeah, happy to be in another final.”
This high-quality semifinal was rematch of the 2024 US Open final, which Sabalenka won 7-5, 7-5, and proved to be a superb sequel.
Breaking serve to start the decider tonight, Sabalenka saw the hard-charging Pegula stamp four consecutive love holds to close the gap to 4-5.
Beneath the closed Arthur Ashe Stadium roof, Sabalenka stood up to stress and the 23,000 pro-Pegula fans screaming support to battle into her seventh Grand Slam final.
Continuing her quest to become the first woman to win consecutive US Open singles titles since Serena Williams from 2012-2014, Sabalenka will face either Amanda Anisimova or Naomi Osaka in Saturday’s 4 p.m. final with a record $5 million champion’s check on the line.
“I was just praying inside and hoping for the best,” Sabalenka said of her tight final game. “It means a lot. I’ll go out there on Saturday and I’ll fight for every point like the last point of my life.”
On this night, Pegula produced a level of tennis that probably would have beaten most women in the world, but Sabalenka is a singular talent.
“I thought it was really high-level. I don’t really know what else to say,” said Pegula, who converted two of seven break-point chances. “I don’t know how I didn’t break back in the third.
“I thought I played some really good points to win the first. She upped her level, started serving a lot better in the second. Then I felt like it was really even in the third. Like, there wasn’t that much difference. I felt like we were both serving pretty well.
“She came up with some ridiculous shots, like, on breakpoint. Like, I didn’t feel like I did much wrong. So, yeah, it seemed like the level was really high, and we were pushing each other every single game.”
At the outset, Sabalenka was controlling the center of the court, but Pegula completely flipped the script midway through the opening set.
Ripping a forehand return down the line, Sabalenka smacked an inside-out forehand winner into the open court drawing first-break blood for 4-2.
That was a prelude to Pegula picking the big-hitting Belarusian apart with a four-game run.
Draining errors from the top seed, Pegula broke back in the seventh game on a Sabalenka double fault, snapping the champion’s streak of 32 consecutive holds that dated back to the second round.
Two games later, Pegula burned Sabalenka with a backhand pass followed by a forehand swing volley for break point.
An anxious Sabalenka sent a forehand beyond the baseline and Pegula scored her second straight break for 5-4 inciting a roar from the crowd that included Al Roker, Robin Roberts, Karl Anthony Towns and Ludacris.
A clever drop shot and crushing forehand down the line gave Pegula triple set point.
The 31-year-old American stamped her second straight love hold to snatch the 36-minute opener on a four-game run. Pegula played cleaner combinations and did not commit an error during her four-game surge to close the set.
It was the 11th straight set Pegula won in the tournament and she did it with confident serving. Pegula served 77 percent and won 17 of 23 first-serve points taking a set from Sabalenka for the first time since her 6-4, 6-3 victory in the 2023 WTA Finals.
The winner of the opening set had won all prior nine meetings between the pair.
Pointing her index finger to her temple in a physical expression of “play smarter”, Sabalenka did exactly that to start the second set.
The reigning champion dialed in her drives, served with more command and broke in Pegula’s opening serve game seizing a 3-0 lead.
Painting the sideline with her fifth ace, Sabalenka had won 13 of her last 16 points on serve stretching her second-set lead to 5-2.
On her third set point, Sabalenka stung a serve into the hip and Pegula’s backhand return clipped the tape and settled on her side as the champion forced a final set after 77 minutes.
The fourth seed was up 30-15 to start the third set before Sabalenka punished a 73 mph second serve with pure disdain for break point. Pegula sent a forehand long and Sabalenka had the break. Sabalenka consolidated at love for 2-0.
Down 15-30 in the fourth game, Sabalenka scorched her seventh ace and followed with two stinging serve winners extending to 3-1.
In the sixth game, Pegula tightened the screws on Sabalenka’s serve game earning three break points. Sabalenka withstood that pressure saving all three break points and answering with a smash and a rocket serve holding for 4-2.
Across the net, Pegula was untouchable on serve stringing together 16 straight points on serve as she held for 4-5.
Still, every time Pegula pressed the champion on serve, Sabalenka delivered authoritative answers.
“She’s going to come out and I was hitting some good returns and she’s going to blast first-ballwinners, literally some of them on the line, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about that,” Pegula said.“It’s too good. That’s how she plays. She plays really fearless.
“That works for her. I don’t think I play like that. I don’t think some other players play like that.But, yeah, it was too good from her today at some points.”
On her first match point, Sabalenka back-pedaled, set up for a smash and in a mind-numbing miss netted it. Trying to attacking the American, Sabalenka netted a low volley on match point No. 2.
All three of Sabalenka’s Grand Slam losses this year were heart-breaking three-set defeats to determined Americans—to Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, to Coco Gauff in the Roland Garros final and to Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals—yet on this night Sabalenka refused to lose.
“I was super emotional. I was just, like, Oh, my gosh, no way it’s happening. Please, just close this match,” Sabalenka said of the final game. “Of course I was emotional, and then there was anotherkind of, like, easy shot that I — not that I missed, but I didn’t make the right decision.
“The whole match I just keep telling myself, into the next one, just one step at a time, don’t worry about the past. Just try better in the next point.”
The sound of the screaming crowd ringing in her ears did not deter the Belarusian who continued pumping first serves as she gained a third match point.
This time, Sabalenka scalded that forehand finishing shot.
The woman sporting the tiger tattoo on her forearm, leaned back and erupted in a primal scream of success.
In the end, Sabalenka more than doubled Pegula’s winner total—43 to 21—and won exactly two more points (90 to 88) to courageously cap a thriller.
