At last, the Tigress reigns supreme in the concrete jungle. After two semi-final defeats and that painful loss to Coco Gauff in last year’s final, Aryna Sabalenka finally has the US Open trophy in her hands.
It was the New York crowd, as much as Gauff, that supported Sabalenka last year, but here, against another American, Jessica Pegula, she handled the occasion much better and won 7-5, 7-5.
This is her third Grand Slam title, after two Australian Opens, and at the age of 26, Sabalenka is becoming a truly complete player.
Iga Swiatek may be world number one but, in addition to her Roland Garros feud, Sabalenka will be the favourite for the other three Grand Slams in 2025.
Sadly, modern tennis lacks nicknames, but Sabalenka has a tattoo of a tiger on her left forearm and, with its impressive power and bloodcurdling roar, that describes her perfectly.
Aryna Sabalenka has won the US Open, beating American Jessica Pegula in straight sets
Sabalenka paid tribute to defeated finalist Pegaula, who was applauded by the home crowd
Sabalenka lifts the trophy in New York: the third major title of her career to date
A Grand Slam tradition is for Sabalenka to sign coach Jason Stacy’s bald head after each victory. For the final, they went a step further, as Stacy appeared with a matching tiger tattoo on his scalp; it is not expected to be permanent.
But what a great job Stacy, Sabalenka and the rest of the team have done over the past year. Sabalenka, who has always been a terrifying talent, has in the past been erratic and emotionally volatile.
There she kept her head in the Arthur Ashe cauldron, even as Pegula rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the second set to lead 5-3.
She has brought a lot to her game and it was her ability to change the pace of a point with a slice, hit a surprise drop shot or run to the net that made the difference in this match.
An overhead backhand that fellow Tiger Tim Henman would have been proud of helped her turn the tide and get a break back as Pegula served out the second set.
That tied the score at 5-5 and from there Sabalenka surged to victory.
He broke down in a heap of tears and planted a kiss on the court that has been the scene of more accidents than anyone else in his career.
She then sent another kiss to heaven for her father, who passed away in 2019. Her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, also died by suicide in Miami in March of this year.
Pegula competed very well, but the power of Sabalenka’s game and the magnetism of her personality are such that her opponent can seem like a mere spectator in a one-woman show. The match depends on her racket; the energy of the contest pulses to the rhythm of her strong heartbeat.