Aryna Sabalenka has reached the US Open final for the fourth year in a row, defeating American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday. The victory marked Sabalenka's 20th consecutive win at Flushing Meadows and keeps her hopes alive for a Grand Slam title this year.
Sabalenka, who will relinquish her world number one ranking next week, expressed her strong desire to win the match. "I was so desperate to win, I wanted it badly," she said. "No complaints, I am super happy to pull out such good tennis."
In the final, Sabalenka will face either Elena Rybakina, who is set to take over the world number one ranking, or American fourth seed Coco Gauff.
For Pegula, the loss represents another US Open setback against Sabalenka. The Belarusian previously denied Pegula a major title in the 2024 final and also defeated her in last year's semifinals. While Pegula had won their most recent encounter in the Berlin Open in June, Sabalenka avenged that loss in New York.
Sabalenka is aiming to become the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open women's singles titles. This achievement has only been met by Williams and Chris Evert in the Open era.
Despite some inconsistent results leading up to the tournament, including quarter-final and fourth-round exits at the French Open and Wimbledon respectively, Sabalenka has found her form at the US Open. She has dropped only one set en route to the final.
In a tightly contested first set, Sabalenka overcame early frustration and unforced errors to eventually find her rhythm. After breaking Pegula's serve at 6-5, she secured the set. The second set saw Sabalenka dominate, hitting 29 winners to Pegula's 12.
This win also sets a new Open era record for consecutive Grand Slam hard-court finals for the 28-year-old Sabalenka, who has reached every major final on hard courts since the 2023 Australian Open.