How Aryna Sabalenka won the 2024 U.S. Open with a straight-sets win against Jessica Pegula (2024)

• Aryna Sabalenka (2) has won the women's title at the 2024 U.S. Open
• The Belarusian beat American Jessica Pegula (6) in New York
• Sabalenka won 7-5, 7-5 on Arthur Ashe for her third Grand Slam
• Pegula battled doggedly but came up short at her home tournament

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In a tight match, every tennis player has to decide when to shift away from Plan A and try something new. The idea is to move their opponent out of their comfort zone, but it can discomfit the player making the change just as much.

What’s a power player to do? Sabalenka’s answer Saturday was to pull the string. She worked all last off-season on developing a more well-rounded game, so that when the overpowering strokes went wild — as they did today — she would have more tools to deploy.

Drop shots, volleys, low, slicing approach shots. A year ago against Coco Gauff, Sabalenka had no answers when she needed to create opportunities from adversity, other than to keep swinging.

She dedicated months of work to making sure that never happened again. On Saturday in New York, that work paid off.

Speaking on court after her title win, Aryna Sabalenka said: “Oh my God, I'm speechless right now. So many times I thought I was so close to get the US Open title, it's always been a dream of mine and finally I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot, it’s been a very, very difficult two weeks.”

Discussing opponent Jessica Pegula, she added: “You are showing some amazing tennis and I’m sure that one day you’re going to get one — well, not one, maybe more but let's start from one Grand Slam! I remembered all the tough losses in the past here.

“Congratulations on a great summer and you're an amazing player... if you keep working hard and sacrificing everything for a dream, you’re going to get there one day.

“I’m super proud of myself, I never say that,” the Belarusian concluded.

Managing her emotions after last year was always going to be key in this match, and a couple of Sabalenka reactions to forehand winners told a story of how even within this contest, she had to go on a journey.

Early in the first set, Pegula had a point on her serve for 2-2, which Sabalenka won with a ripped forehand crosscourt that flew past her opponent. She let out a roar of celebration, venting the frustration of having lost her serve in the previous game and feeling as though she hadn’t fully settled.

Towards the end of the second, Sabalenka sealed another break with a forehand winner — this one down the line, and this one even more crucial. It won her the game at 5-4, Pegula serving to take the match into a third set.

This time there was no big reaction from Sabalenka, who instead walked back to the line and prepared to serve in the next game.The roar was what was needed early on to get her going; now she needed to calm herself down and focus.

Given the circ*mstances, this was an exceptionally mature emotional performance from Sabalenka.

Sabalenka may very well trademark “Not this time.” Last year when the the Coco Gauff train started running downhill, Sabalenka was powerless to stop it, and Gauff didn’t buckle at all.

Pegula will probably have some sleepless nights over the 10th game of the second set, after pretty much everything had gone sideways for Sabalenka for more than a half hour.

Pegula, who had been a point from a 0-4 deficit, was serving for the second set at 5-4, having played stellar tennis to win five of the previous six games. Suddenly Pegula’s strokes lost a bit of steam and Sabalenka seized the moment.

She flicked a backhand volley to get the pressure going for 0-30. Then she watched Pegula make the backhand error on a rally ball, instead of her. Then the dagger – a winner down the line for 5-5. She didn’t lose another game.

Going into the match, two of Sabalenka’s main concerns were a hostile crowd and Pegula’s ability to hustle and get returns back into play.

In the first set, these two fears combined. Pegula produced an extremely effective returning performance, and the crowd feasted on it as she played on its energy. The combination seriously unsettled Sabalenka, and led the Belarusian from 5-2 up, to narrowly avoiding being 5-6 down.

At 5-5, a break for Pegula would have left her serving for the set, and might have sent Sabalenka spiralling, as happened in last year’s final against an American player. Instead, Sabalenka dug out the hold, and her reaction underlined what an important moment this was.

Pegula lost the set 7-5 in the next game, but had given herself an excellent chance of winning it, returning so well that she chipped away at all of her opponent’s insecurities, which would come to the fore in the second set.

Speaking on court after the match, Jessica Pegula said: "It has been an incredible month for me. I had a tough start to the year but managed to turn it around. I didn't expect to be standing here and I'm grateful for the last few months of tennis and some incredible matches."

"We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago and she's one of the best in the world. She's super powerful and isn't going to give you anything, she can take the racquet out of your hand. I'm just glad I was able to stay in there and keep taking opportunities."

"Thank you to everyone in my box for the support you always give me but especially over the past few weeks. I also have lots of friends of family scattered around tonight, I don't know where they are, but thanks for coming.

"It's great to have so much support at my home Grand Slam."

Speaking on court, Jessica Pegula joked: "I wish she'd at least have given me a set!"

We'll bring you the full quotes when they come.

Sabalenka rubbed the temporary tiger tattoo on her coach Jason Stacy's head after climbing up to the box in the stands.

And why not?

He'll have to keep it in future based on this result!

Jessica Pegula was magnanimous in defeat, warmly hugging the victor Sabalenka at the net.

A brilliant competitor.

Sabalenka just spent a few minutes up in the stands hugging and basking in the congratulations of her loved ones, while an oddly choreographed setup of a blue trophy ceremony stage plays out on the court itself.

She also posed for a few selfies with fans in the aisles as she walked back down to the court.

Photographers are assembling, as well as lines of ball retrievers, including eight carrying U.S. flags behind the stage. Billie Jean King is walking toward that stage, too.

For the moment, Sabalenka and Pegula are sitting on their benches, taking it in and thinking about what just went down.

Aryna Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in the U.S. Open final at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center 7-5, 7-5 on Saturday.

The No. 2 seed prevailed over the No. 6 seed in a tight, edgy match full of momentum swings and key moments.

Pegula put Sabalenka under serious return pressure, but the Belarusian came through that — and the scar tissue of last year’s defeat to Coco Gauff on Arthur Ashe Stadium — to take the match and the title.

It is Sabalenka’s first U.S. Open title, and her third Grand Slam title overall. She is the only women’s player to hold two Grand Slam titles simultaneously this year, having won the Australian Open in January.

The Athletic’s writers, Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman, analyze the final and what it means for tennis. Read more below.

Hard-court specialist Sabalenka becomes the first woman to win the Australian Open and U.S. Open in the same calendar year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.

Per the BBC, Sabalenka is the fifth player in the Open era to win two women’s singles Grand Slam titles on hard court in the same season after Steffi Graf (1988 and 1989), Monica Seles (1991 and 1992), Martina Hingis (1997) and Angelique Kerber (2016).

The heartbreak of the 2023 final, when Sabalenka won the first set but lost in three against American Coco Gauff on this very court, is behind her.

The trophy engraver is carving her name into the metal.

Well deserved.