Aryna Sabalenka has successfully defended her US Open women's singles title, overcoming Amanda Anisimova in a 6-3, 7-6 (3) final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday. The victory marks Sabalenka's fourth Grand Slam singles title, all of which have come on hard courts, and makes her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win consecutive championships in Flushing Meadows.
The match, played under a closed roof due to heavy rain, was a contest of powerful baseline hitting. While Anisimova, a New Jersey native, showcased flashes of brilliant shot-making, her unforced error count ultimately proved to be her undoing. Sabalenka, on the other hand, played a more composed and calculated match, relying on her powerful serve and aggressive returns to exploit her opponent's inconsistency.
Sabalenka seized control early in the first set, winning four straight games from a 3-2 deficit to take the set 6-3. While Anisimova had more winners (22 to 13), she also had nearly double the unforced errors (29 to 15). The second set was a much tighter affair, with Sabalenka twice holding a break advantage. Serving for the match at 5-4, a misjudged overhead smash by the Belarusian allowed Anisimova to break back, drawing a roar from the crowd. However, Sabalenka's mental fortitude, which she has credited to lessons learned from her two previous Grand Slam final losses earlier this year, allowed her to reset and dominate the ensuing tiebreak. She won her 19th consecutive tiebreak, sealing the championship with a serve that Anisimova returned wide.
For Anisimova, who was also a runner-up at Wimbledon in July, the loss marks her second straight defeat in a major final. Despite the outcome, the 24-year-old is projected to reach a new career-high ranking of No. 4. Anisimova commented after the match that the closed roof and artificial lighting made it difficult to see the ball while serving, which she said was a "huge shock to my system."
The win represents a career milestone for Sabalenka, as it was her 100th career Grand Slam main-draw match victory. With her triumph, the world No. 1 has silenced any doubts about her ability to win on the biggest stage, adding another major trophy to her collection and cementing her place as a dominant force in women's tennis.