Defending US Open Champion Sabalenka Simply Too Good For Pegula

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (photo: Jürgen Hasenkopf)

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, September 5, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

As World No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka arrived at the US Open semifinal round, played under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday evening to keep the howling wind at bay, she faced No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula in a rematch of their 2024 final.

The No. 1-seeded Belarusian, seeking her fourth major singles title, has been nothing short of being extraordinarily consistent during this New York fortnight – having reached the semifinals in 11 of the last 12 majors that she’s contested. Plus, because she won her quarterfinal match on a walk over, she came into her semifinal against Pegula plenty rested – her last match was on Sunday – and having played one fewer match. 

Meanwhile, the American No. 2 Pegula, who was appearing in her second Grand Slam semifinal at age 31, came into her battle against 27-year-old Sabalenka without dropping a single set. Still seeking to win her first major, could she get revenge?

The answer would take two hours and five minutes to be revealed – but it was worth the wait. By the end of their three-set battle, Sabalenka continued her title defense with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Pegula to reach her third Grand Slam final of the 2025 season. 

Sabalenka simply rose to the occasion – beating Pegula for the eighth time in 10 meetings – and earned a chance to go after back-to-back US Open titles. She’s also the first player since Serena Williams (2012-14) to reach three consecutive US Open finals – and, now, Sabalenka is through to her sixth consecutive hard-court major final.

On Saturday, Sabalenka will face No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States, who battled past four-time major and two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka of Japan, seeded 23rd, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3, in a match that didn’t end until nearly 1 a.m. Friday. The 24-year-old Anisimova, who was born in New Jersey and raised in Florida, wrapped up her victory on her third match-point opportunity after two hours and 56 minutes to reach her second-straight major final.

“I wasn’t sure I would make it past the finish line and I tried to dig deep,” said Anisimova, who hit 50 winners, made 45 unforced errors and outpointed Osaka, 122-112. “It was a huge fight out there today.”

Meanwhile, Pegula was solid at times – hitting 21 winners to 15 unforced errors – but she still couldn’t overcome Sabalenka, who showed remarkable poise under pressure and finished by hitting eight aces and 43 overall winners. Sabalenka battled through four double faults and committed 27 unforced errors. However, to her credit, she converted three of seven break points, saved five of the seven break points she faced, and outpointed Pegula 90-88. 

“I had to work really hard to get this win,” Sabalenka said during her on-court interview. “I’m super happy to get the win against Jessica. Hopefully, I can go all the way again.”

After Sabalenka established a comfortable break lead at 4-2 to begin the semifinal, Pegula came storming back to win three straight games – including breaks of Sabalenka in the seventh and ninth games – to grab a 5-4 advantage. Sabalenka was broken the first time after hitting a double fault on break point and the second time as a result of an unforced error. Then, Pegula held at love after Sabalenka committed her eighth unforced error to win the 36-minute opening set. It was the first set in two years she had won against Sabalenka – and it was the first set that Sabalenka had lost in this year’s US Open. However, it would be the last one Sabalenka would lose Thursday evening.

While Pegula was a set away from reaching back-to-back US Open finals, on the other side of the net, Sabalenka found herself a set away from losing to four different Americans in each of the four 2025 majors: Madison Keys at the Australian Open, Coco Gauff at Roland-Garros, Anisimova at Wimbledon and, possibly, Pegula at the US Open.

With her back up against the wall, Sabalenka rallied to go up 2-0, thanks to an early break of Pegula. Then, she consolidated after Pegula made an unforced error hitting a backhand return for a 3-0 lead, and increased it to 4-1 after hitting a forehand volley winner. Soon, Sabalenka built a 5-2 advantage after hitting her fourth ace. Next, despite committing two double faults, Pegula held serve to force Sabalenka to serve it out. Finally, Sabalenka wrapped up the set 6-3 after Pegula slapped a backhand into the net. It meant that she had now won at least a set in 105 consecutive Grand Slam matches.

After an hour and 17 minutes, it was a set apiece – and while the match remained on Sabalenka’s racquet, it was anyone’s guess how this semifinal would turn out.

As the final set unfolded, Sabalenka raced to a 2-0 lead with a break and a love hold that included her seventh ace complemented by a pair of forehand winners. Pegula kept matters close with a love hold that was aided by a trio of hitting errors by Sabalenka. But the defending champion charged right back with a service winner to go ahead 3-1. Another love hold by Pegula kept matters close, but she still needed to break back – and soon. Then, a backhand volley winner at the net by Pegula capped a 10-shot rally and gave her a break point. Sabalenka saved it with a 13th-shot forehand smash winner and gained deuce with a cross-court backhand winner.

While Sabalenka lost the next point with a backhand unforced error, Pegula failed to convert the break point after she hit a forehand forced error and lost the next point, too. However, Sabalenka committed an critical double fault – her third – for another deuce point. Another forehand smash winner gave Sabalenka another game point and this time she held for 4-2, which concluded a dramatic 12-point game. Next, Pegula held at love, winning the game with a nifty backhand winner to close Sabalenka’s lead to 4-3.

In the next game, Sabalenka faced a break point after committing her fourth double fault, but saved it with a backhand winner – and eventually held serve four points later after Pegula netted a forehand return from deep in the corner. It gave Sabalenka a 5-3 lead, needing just to hold her serve one more time.

After Pegula held at love, hitting a pair of winners and benefiting from a couple of forced errors, it was time for Sabalenka to close out the match. She set up a match point with her eighth service ace of the match but lost the next point with an unforced error as she netted an overhead smash. Sabalenka gained a second match point after she hit a backhand winner to cap a three-shot rally. But Pegula held tough and saved it after Sabalenka hit a volley error into the net. 

Quickly, Sabalenka gained a third match point after Pegula hit a forehand error. Finally, she put away the victory with a third-shot forehand winner. Upon securing the semifinal victory more than two hours after it began, Sabalenka reacted by raising her arms in celebration and let out a big, joyful scream.

During her on-court interview, Sabalenka was asked how she handled the pressure moments, especially during the final set. “I don’t know. I was just praying inside and hoping for the best,” she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

Sabalenka also gave props to Pegula. “She’s such a great player and great fighter,” she said. “Always tough matches. Super happy to be in the final again. Hopefully, I can go all the way again. 

“Of course, guys, thanks for bringing the best atmosphere.”

For major champions Siniakova and Townsend, their goal is to win – and have fun

No. 1 seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the United States will try to win their third major title together in just over a year Friday afternoon in the women’s doubles final on Arthur Ashe Stadium. In tennis, a world that’s sometimes defined by six degrees of separation, three years ago Townsend played for the US Open doubles title with Caty McNally and lost the title to Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova. It was one of seven major titles the Czech duo won together, including a career Grand Slam.

Now, Siniakova and Townsend, the Top-2 players in women’s doubles, have joined forces and they’ve already won a pair of major titles: the 2024 Wimbledon Championships crown and the 2025 Australian Open title.

Opposing Siniakova and Townsend in the US Open final will be No. 3 seeds Gabriela Dabrowksi of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand, who won the 2023 US Open title together.

One thing that Siniakova and Townsend do so well is they lift each other up together. It has also helped that the American Townsend, originally from Chicago who later moved to Atlanta to train, is like a hometown hero in New York. She and Siniakova have benefited from the raucous crowds that have turned out for their matches, especially earlier this week when they faced Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez in Tuesday’s quarterfinals on Louis Armstrong Stadium.

When Siniakova and Townsend walk out on the court to face Dabrowski and Routliffe, they will try to become the first No. 1-seeded team to win the US Open women’s doubles title in 10 years. Throughout their run to the final, Siniakova and Townsend have played phenomenal tennis and gelled together. Their respect for each other is evident – and it comes out with each match they are on the court together.

“You focus on what you can do and we know we’ll get our chance,” Townsend said during an on-court interview with ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs on Wednesday afternoon, after she and Siniakova defeated No. 4 seeds Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium, this year’s Wimbledon champions, in the semifinal round. “We got our chances and capitalized on them. Sometimes, you just have to be patient.”

Siniakova added: “If we play great tennis, we’re going to be much better.”

So, just who is the team captain? “I think it just depends upon the day,” Townsend quipped. “We’re both are so good at lifting each other up, elevating our games and being able to balance each other. I think that is what makes us such a good team. The level never really drops too low. If someone is feeling something, we’re able to communicate and talk with each other and, most importantly, we have fun.

“No matter what the result, we’re going to play our way, have fun and smile and enjoy it.”

Around the US Open

The pairings for Saturday’s US Open men’s doubles final were set following semifinal action Thursday on Louis Armstrong Stadium. With plenty of upsets in the earlier rounds, including No. 1 seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of England bowing in the first round, the surprise team of the tournament has been unseeded Robert Cash and J.J. Tracy of the United States, former NCAA doubles champions while at Ohio State, who have won three straight matches over seeded teams to advance to the semifinals. 

Cash and Tracy dispatched No. 7 seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy, No. 10 seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni of Argentina, and No. 15 seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul of France to reach the semifinal round against No. 5 seeds Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, who were 2019 US Open finalists.

The good fortune of Cash and Tracy ran out but not before making Granollers and Zeballos earn a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory behind 38 winners that took one hour and 44 minutes to complete. Granollers and Zeballos outpointed the American duo 86-69.

The other semifinal was won by No. 6 seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski of Great Britain over No. 14 seeds Yuki Bhambri of India and Michael Venus of New Zealand, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 6-4, in two hours and 53 minutes. The Britons combined to hit 49 winners and converted three of 12 break points. They outpointed Bhambri and Venus 116-113.

Salisbury is a three-time US Open men’s doubles champion (2021-23) with Rajeev Ram of the United States, while Skupski was a finalist in 2022 with Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands. 

Thursday’s US Open results

Friday’s US Open order of play

By the numbers

• Jannik Sinner‘s quarterfinal victory over fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti extended his winning streak at the hard-court majors (Australian Open, US Open) to 26 matches, which tied Novak Djokovic and Ivan Lendl for the third-longest men’s major hard-court win streak. Roger Federer (40) and Djokovic (27) are the longest and second-longest streaks.

• Aryna Sabalenka is just the third woman since 1988 to reach six consecutive hard-court major finals, joining Hall of Famers Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis.

“Quotable …”

“I was pretty impressed by Jannik’s performance today. I think he served really well, and he was pushing me to my limit. Of course, he’s better than me, and he showed. But I’m happy that I played against him to understand even the things that I have to improve. So, hopefully soon, I can have a test again.”

– World No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti, during his post-match news conference Wednesday night, after losing 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the US Open quarterfinals.

 

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