World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her US Open title with a gritty 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) win over Amanda Anisimova at Flushing Meadows, becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win back-to-back titles in New York.
The triumph secured a fourth Grand Slam for the Belarusian, all on hard courts, adding a second US Open trophy to her pair of Australian Open victories.
Sabalenka, who fell to her knees in relief before celebrating with her team, admitted the emotional weight of the occasion:
“I want to thank everyone who came here, who flew in to be there in my box. I’m going to reach a lot more finals and I don’t care where you are in the world – I want you in my box.”
Overcoming past scars
For both women, the final was as much about redemption as silverware; Anisimova was back on the biggest stage just 56 days after suffering a historic 6-0 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final, while Sabalenka had endured painful defeats at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, including a stormy press conference after losing to Coco Gauff in Paris.
Having also been beaten by Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-finals, Sabalenka entered New York still searching for a major in 2025 despite her dominance on tour. This time, however, she found the steel required to finish the job.
How the match unfolded
With heavy rain forcing the roof closed, both players came out swinging in the charged atmosphere.
Anisimova’s nerves showed early as she dropped serve in the opening game, extending her streak of games lost in Grand Slam finals to 14.
Anisimova sat on her chair and sobbed while Sabalenka celebrated with her team
But the American quickly steadied herself, reeling off three straight games to spark roars from the home crowd.
The eighth seed’s resurgence was short-lived, a run of unforced errors allowed Sabalenka to seize control with four games in a row, wrapping up the opening set 6-4.
Anisimova’s serve remained fragile in the second, gifting Sabalenka another break. Though she fought back to level at 5-5 – producing a spectacular backhand lob to stay alive – the world No 1 held firm.
She forced a tie-break and delivered her trademark power and precision, dominating 7-3 to clinch the championship.
Anisimova finished with 29 unforced errors, including seven double faults, undermining her flashes of brilliance. Still, the 24-year-old will break into the world’s top four on Monday, an impressive rise after starting the year outside the top 30.
In tears after another final defeat, Anisimova admitted:
“It’s been a great summer – losing two finals in a row is great but also super hard. I didn’t fight hard enough for my dreams today.”
Expert reaction
“For a straight-sets match there were so many swings in momentum. Sabalenka showed just what a champion she is under pressure. Anisimova held her own, but Aryna had that little bit more firepower and composure when it mattered most.”
“It’s tough to see Amanda so upset because she gave everything. She was far better than at Wimbledon, but Sabalenka’s tactics were spot on and she absolutely deserved it.”
“Courtside, the second set felt like a turning point. Sabalenka regrouped and played a flawless tie-break, giving nothing away. After all the reminders of Paris, she showed today why she’s the world No 1.”
Your writing is like a breath of fresh air in the often stale world of online content. Your unique perspective and engaging style set you apart from the crowd. Thank you for sharing your talents with us.
obviously like your website but you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I to find it very troublesome to inform the reality on the other hand Ill certainly come back again
Wow amazing blog layout How long have you been blogging for you made blogging look easy The overall look of your web site is magnificent as well as the content
helloI really like your writing so a lot share we keep up a correspondence extra approximately your post on AOL I need an expert in this house to unravel my problem May be that is you Taking a look ahead to see you
certainly like your website but you need to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very troublesome to inform the reality nevertheless I will definitely come back again