As the top women’s tennis player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka has found success all over the globe.
In recent years, Sabalenka, the reigning U.S. Open champion, has shined the brightest under the New York microscope.
Thursday night’s Open semifinal match against Jessica Pegula, a rematch of last year’s final, was no different.
The top-seeded Sabalenka held off fourth-seeded Pegula, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a two-hour, five-minute thriller at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“Well, I think I really played great tennis,” said Sabalenka, who showed a wide spectrum of emotion — from frustration to exuberance — throughout the match. “I think I handled that pressure really well. I’m super proud of this win.”
Sabalenka, 27, from Belarus, is in the U.S. Open final for the third straight year, also reaching the stage in 2023 before losing to Coco Gauff. Thursday marked her fifth straight U.S. Open semifinal appearance.
She is in her third major tournament final of 2025, having lost in the final of both the Australian Open and French Open.
Looking for her first Grand Slam tournament victory since last year’s U.S. Open, Sabalenka will face either No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova or No. 23 seed Naomi Osaka in the final at 4 p.m. Saturday at Ashe.
“I’m super excited to give myself another opportunity, another final,” Sabalenka said. “If I’ll be able to hold that trophy, it’s going to mean a lot for me. I’ll be just the happiest person on earth, probably.”
Sabalenka was aggressive throughout, posting 43 winners (Pegula had 21). She had 27 unforced errors, while Pegula had a clean night with only 15.
Pegula, 31, from Buffalo, is the daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula, owners of the NFL’s Bills and the NHL’s Sabres. She was knocking on the doorstep of a U.S. Open title last year before falling 7-5, 7-5 to Sabalenka.
After Pegula advanced to this year’s semifinals with a straight-sets win over Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday, she was asked about the possibility of facing Sabalenka again.
“I think it would be cool to be able to get revenge, obviously,” she said.
Revenge will have to wait.
Sabalenka won the first two games of the 48-minute third set, earning a break in the first and not allowing a point in the second. Pegula did not allow a point in the third game, holding serve to cut her deficit to 2-1.
Sabalenka took a 4-2 lead in the final set, surviving three deuces and three break-point attempts by Pegula in the sixth game.
In a hectic eighth game of the third set, Sabalenka, leading 4-3, took a 30-0 lead but lost the next three points. A frustrated Sabalenka threw her racket to the court, evened the score and ultimately avoided being broken to take a 5-3 lead. Pegula shut out Sabalenka in the ninth game, putting the pressure on the serving Sabalenka to close it out.
The 10th game was even at 30-30, and Pegula forced two deuces. Sabalenka won on her third-match point attempt, finally closing it on a forehand rocket and unleashing a massive roar.
“I was just praying inside and hoping for the best,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview.
Said Pegula: “I thought it was really high level. I don’t really know what else to say. I don’t know how I didn’t break back in the third.”
Sabalenka took leads of 3-0 and 5-2 in the second set. She had her first opportunity at set point in the eighth game, earning the advantage after Pegula’s double fault. Pegula ultimately claimed the eighth game of the set after two backhand errors by Sabalenka, who then finished it out by winning the ninth.
In the first set, Sabalenka earned the match’s first break in the sixth game and was in the driver’s seat with a 4-2 lead. Pegula responded with wins in four consecutive games, including two breaks. She did not surrender a point in two service holds — one to win the set and the other to tie it at 4-4.
In the nine previous matches between Sabalenka and Pegula, the winner of the first set won the match. Thursday snapped that trend.
Pegula played in just her second major semifinal Thursday and remains in search of her first Grand Slam tournament title. This opportunity fell two wins short, but hope prevails.
“I always feel like I’m close,” Pegula said. “I’m one of the top players in the world. I always feel I can go out, and I can beat these girls. Even though I maybe don’t have the massive weapon that some of them have, or the flashiness that some of them have, I feel like I’m always right there every time I play them.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins’ teams.
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