Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula in a three-set thriller to reach the US Open final for the third consecutive time. She will face either Naomi Osaka or Amanda Anisimova in the final, aiming for back-to-back titles.
Reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka came from behind to beat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula in three sets and return to the US Open final on Thursday.
World number one Sabalenka overcame Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a re-run of last year’s final. The Belarusian will face either four-time major champion Naomi Osaka or Amanda Anisimova for the title on Saturday, in what will be her third successive appearance in the Flushing Meadows final.
“It was a really tough match — she played incredible tennis as always, and I had to work really hard to get this win,” said Sabalenka. “Just super happy to be back in the final and hopefully I can go all the way again.”
Sabalenka reaches 6 Grand Slam finals
The 27-year-old is seeking to become the first player to win consecutive singles titles in New York since Serena Williams lifted three in a row from 2012 to 2014. She has now made the final at four of the last five Grand Slams but has not added to her three-major haul since her 2024 US Open triumph.
Sabalenka landed the first blow in the sixth game of the opening set, breaking for a 4-2 lead. But a sloppy service game allowed Pegula to hit back immediately, and the American surged again to break for 5-4 before serving out to love to claim the first set to the delight of the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
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Resetting quickly, Sabalenka roared back in the second set, reeling off the first three games and holding firm to level the contest. A break to open the deciding set saw her edge 2-0 ahead, and she dug deep to save three break points at 4-2 before fending off another in the eighth game. Pegula held to force Sabalenka to serve it out, but the top seed finally sealed victory on her third match point with a crunching forehand winner.
Sabalenka awaits her final opponent
Osaka and Anisimova were due to meet later Thursday in the second semi-final, with both players navigating long, winding roads back to the business end of a Slam.
A French Open semi-finalist at just 17, Anisimova stepped away from the sport for eight months in 2023 while struggling with depression brought on by the scrutiny and expectations of her teenage breakthrough. She tumbled outside the top 400 but rebounded spectacularly this season, breaking into the top 10 for the first time after reaching the Wimbledon final two months ago.
Anisimova aware of Osaka’s hard work
Her run there ended in brutal fashion with a 6-0, 6-0 defeat to Iga Swiatek. But Anisimova avenged that loss on Wednesday by stunning the second-seeded Pole, setting up a shot at a first Grand Slam final.
“I feel like she’s really found her groove. She’s put in a lot of work this past year. I’ve observed it, and I’ve seen it,” Anisimova said of Osaka. “I feel like she’s really found her momentum here.”
Osaka, seeded 23rd, is enjoying her best run at a major since winning her second Australian Open title in 2021 — the last of her four Grand Slam crowns. Her record when going deep is formidable: she has claimed the trophy every time she has reached a major quarter-final, including two previous triumphs at Flushing Meadows.
That will be tested against the eighth-seeded Anisimova, whom Osaka described as “one of the most talented players on tour.” As she put it: “I think no one wants to see her name next to theirs.”