2024 US Open Women’s Final: Aryna Sabalenka v Jessica Pegula
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A new women’s US Open winner will be crowned Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Favorite from day one, Aryna Sabalenka takes on first-time Grand Slam finalist Jessica Pegula for the final Grand Slam of the 2024 tennis season.
Sabalenka has played the part of tournament favorite all but dominating all foes en route to her fourth Grand Slam final.
The Belarussian world No. 2 has twice won the Australian and now twice made the finals in New York. Last year, Sabalenka was in complete control of Coco Gauff before the teen turned things around in the second and third sets. She’s 26-1 in her last three hard court Grand Slams and with a win today will be the favorite to take the No. 1 ranking down the stretch.
Pegula has had a long road to finally get to a title match at this level. The 30-year-old will try to become the oldest Grand Slam winners in years and to do it beat both No. 1 and No. 2s, a feat that hasn’t been done at a Slam since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open.
“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I’d be in the finals of the US Open, I would have laughed so hard, because that just was where my head was, was not thinking that I would be here,” Pegula said.
“So to be able to overcome all those challenges and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday is what we play for as players, let alone being able to do that in my home country here, in my home Slam. It’s perfect, really.”
If she has hope, she can look no further than a year ago when Coco Gauff beat Sabalenka for her first Slam.
“Last year it was very tough experience, very tough lesson,” Sabalenka said. “Today in the match, I was, like, `No, no, no, Aryna, it’s not going to happen again. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself.’”
Sabalenka leads 5-2 but Pegula played her close in the Cincinnati final last month. And both are on a roll. Sabalenka has won her last 11 matches while Pegula has won 15 of her last 16.
“We had a lot of great battles in the past, really difficult, tight matches,” Sabalenka said of Pegula. “She’s playing really incredible tennis. Feels like she’s back on track. Cannot wait to play against her.”
One of these two will add a US Open trophy to their cabinet.
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