Sabalenka Survives Pegula Scare to Reach Third Straight US Open Final.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka kept her US Open title defence alive with a gritty 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 semi-final win over Jessica Pegula on Thursday, booking her third consecutive final at Flushing Meadows.
The defending champion, who also beat Pegula in last year’s final, once again proved the stronger player in the clutch moments, extending her dominance in their rivalry. Victory puts Sabalenka within one win of becoming the first woman since Serena Williams (2012–14) to retain the New York crown. She will face either Naomi Osaka or Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s championship clash.
“This was such a tough battle. She played incredible tennis and I had to fight for every point,” Sabalenka said.
Pegula, urged on by a vocal home crowd, came out firing. After breaking back midway through the first set, the American reeled off 16 of the next 20 points to claim it 6-4, dominating behind her serve and forehand.
Sensing trouble, Sabalenka took a medical timeout before storming back with trademark aggression. She raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and never faced a break point, levelling the match 6-3.
The decider was a nerve test. Sabalenka broke early, but Pegula kept the pressure on, forcing the top seed to dig deep in tense service games. At 5-4, Sabalenka squandered two match points with uncharacteristic errors, yet steadied herself to convert her third opportunity after two hours and 18 minutes.
In the end, her 43 winners to Pegula’s 21 told the story — relentless power and resilience carrying her into another US Open final.
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