World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat American Amanda Anisimova to defend her US Open crown and capture her first Grand Slam trophy of the year. Sabalenka kept her composure when it mattered most, sealing a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory in front of a buzzing New York crowd on Saturday, making her the first woman to win the tournament in consecutive years since Serena Williams in 2014.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Serving for the championship at 5-4 in the second set, the defending champion faltered, allowing Anisimova a glimmer of hope. But the Belarusian quickly regrouped, stamping her authority in the tiebreak and clinching the title on her third match point.
For Sabalenka, 27, the win marks her fourth Grand Slam singles trophy and a statement to critics who questioned her ability to handle the pressure of the sport’s biggest stages. After dominating the WTA Tour all season, she capped off the final major of the year with a performance that was both ruthless and resilient.
As for Anisimova, the eighth seed showed growth from her last painful Slam final — a lopsided loss to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon — and pushed Sabalenka to the brink at times. But inconsistency again proved costly, leaving the 24-year-old in tears as she fell short of her dream on home soil.
