New York (AFP) – Reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka came from behind to beat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in three sets to return to the US Open final on Thursday. World number one Sabalenka overcame Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a re-run of last year’s final. The Belarusian will play four-time major champion Naomi Osaka or Amanda Anisimova for the title on Saturday, in her third successive appearance in the Flushing Meadows final.
“It was a really tough match — she played incredible tennis as always and I had to work really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka. “Just super happy to be back in the final and hopefully I can go all the way again.” Sabalenka, 27, is seeking to become the first player to win consecutive singles titles in New York since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012-2014. She has now made the final at four of the last five Grand Slams but has not added to her haul of three majors since winning the 2024 US Open.
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Sabalenka landed the first blow in the sixth game, Pegula saving a pair of break points before the Belarusian’s persistence paid off as she surged into a 4-2 lead. A sloppy service game from Sabalenka allowed Pegula to respond immediately. The American then held to level at 4-4 and put the pressure right back on the top seed. An error from Sabalenka gave Pegula another break for a 5-4 advantage, and she served out to love to take the first set, to the delight of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
Sabalenka reset though and roared back to reel off the first three games of the second set, an early break the difference as she sent the match to a deciding set. A break to open the third set saw Sabalenka edge 2-0 ahead. She scrambled to save three break points and stay in control at 4-2 in and fought off another in the eighth game to close in on victory. Pegula held and forced Sabalenka to get over the line on her own serve. She eventually converted a third match point with a crunching forehand winner to her palpable relief.
– A tale of two comebacks –
Osaka and Anisimova meet later Thursday in the second semi-final. It has been a long, winding road back towards the top for both players. A French Open semi-finalist at 17, Anisimova took an eight-month break from tennis in 2023 after suffering with depression brought on by the scrutiny and expectations that came with being a teen prodigy. She dropped outside the top 400 last year but broke into the top 10 for the first time after her run to the Wimbledon final two months ago. There was little cause for celebration though after a 6-0, 6-0 pasting by Swiatek. However, she avenged that loss on Wednesday by ousting the second-seeded Pole — and now has a resurgent Osaka in her sights.
“I feel like she’s really found her groove. She’s put in a lot of work this past year. I’ve observed it, and I’ve seen it,” Anisimova said of Osaka. “I feel like she’s really found her momentum here.” Osaka, seeded 23rd, is enjoying her best run at a major since winning her second Australian Open title in 2021 — the last of her four major crowns. Her record at the business end of Grand Slams is not up for debate. She has claimed the trophy each time she has made it to the quarter-final stage, triumphing twice at Flushing Meadows.
That will be put to the test by the eighth-seeded Anisimova, “one of the most talented players on tour,” in the eyes of Osaka. “I think no one wants to see her name next to theirs.”
© 2024 AFP
