New York, 11 September (H.S.):

Top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus produced a dominant performance to defeat Jessica Pegula in straight sets and advance to the US Open final. Sabalenka defeated third seed Pegula 7-5, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday to reach the championship match for the fourth consecutive year.

With the victory, Sabalenka also kept alive her hopes of winning the US Open title for a third consecutive year. However, even if she wins the title, she will not be able to retain the world No. 1 ranking, with Elena Rybakina set to take over the top spot.

The 28-year-old Sabalenka hit 29 winners, including seven aces, during the match. Pegula remained under constant pressure against Sabalenka’s powerful groundstrokes. Sabalenka will face the winner of the second semifinal between second seed Rybakina and fourth seed Coco Gauff in Saturday’s final.

After the victory, Sabalenka said, “I’m super happy that I was able to play this kind of tennis. I was desperate for the win. I wanted to win this match so badly.”

Both players served impressively in the opening set, producing a fiercely contested battle. Sabalenka was struggling to create opportunities against Pegula’s serve, and her frustration was visible. However, she maintained her focus. Serving at 5-6, Pegula fell 0-40 behind. She saved one set point but could not fend off the next. Sabalenka seized control of the point with a powerful service return, and the first set went to her when Pegula sent a forehand into the net.

In the second set, Sabalenka targeted Pegula’s weaker second serve. She broke to take a 3-1 lead and continued to apply pressure. She sealed the match with another break, producing a powerful forehand on match point.

For Pegula, the defeat marked another Grand Slam disappointment. She had also lost to Sabalenka in the 2024 US Open final, which remains the only Grand Slam final of her career to date. She was also eliminated by Sabalenka in the semifinals last year.

Sabalenka has had a relatively subdued summer after winning back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March. During the same period, Rybakina emerged with an opportunity to end Sabalenka’s reign as world No. 1, which had lasted since October 2024.

Sabalenka is now one victory away from becoming only the third woman after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open titles.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar