Encore triumph at US Open for Aryna Sabalenka, forcefully beats Amanda Anisimova

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world No. 1, wins the U.S. Open women’s singles event for the second year in a row, beating U.S. No. 9 Amanda Anisimova by a score of 6-3 7-6 in an hour and 34 minutes of play.

Sabalenka has to save three break points in the first game, she then breaches Anisimova, then loses three games in a row with two breaks: 3-2 and service for the U.S. But the world No. 1 rises to the top and posts a run of four consecutive games, with two breaks, that win her the first set. The 24-year-old from New Jersey holds serve in the first game of the second set but Aryna flies to 3-1 by making another break in the third game.

The 27-year-old from Minsk gets caught up at 3-3 losing her serve to nil but immediately regains the break lead going then to 5-3. It seems done but on 5-4 30-30 and serve Sabalenka misses a not-so-simple smash and then suffers the counterbreak. It goes to the tie-break in which Aryna flies to 6-1, misses two Championship points but on the third she places a winning first serve.

Sabalenka confirmed herself queen of Flushing Meadows and of tennis by getting the better of an opponent who had beaten her 6 times out of 9, the most important of which was the Wimbledon semifinal two months ago. It is the fourth Grand Slam tournament success for her: to that in New York last year there are to be added the Australian Open 2023 and 2024. Anisimova loses her second consecutive Slam final but from Monday she will rise to world No. 4, her best ranking ever.