The US Open women’s champion will be announced at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday. In the last Grand Slam of the 2024 tennis season, Aryna Sabalenka, the early favorite, faces Jessica Pegula, a first-time Grand Slam finalist.
In her quest to reach her fourth Grand Slam final, Sabalenka has essentially played the role of the tournament favorite, overwhelming all opponents.
The Belarussian world number two has twice won the Australian Open and has now reached the finals in New York. Last year, Sabalenka had complete control over Coco Gauff until the teenager turned things around in the second and third sets. She’s 26-1 in her last three hard court Grand Slams and, with a victory today, will be the favorite to take the No. 1 ranking down the stretch.
Pegula has come a long way to compete for a championship at this level. The 30-year-old will try to become the oldest Grand Slam winner in years and to 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.
Pegula Statement
“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 told the press.
“So to be able to overcome all of those hurdles and say that I have a shot at the title on Saturday is what we play for as athletes, much alone to be able to do so in my home country, in my home Slam. It’s just beautiful.”
If she has any chance, she only needs to go back a year to when Coco Gauff defeated Sabalenka to win her maiden Grand Slam.
“Last year it was a very tough experience, a very tough lesson,” Sabalenka remarked. “During today’s match, I was thinking, ‘No, no, no, Aryna, it’s not going to happen again. You must regulate your emotions. “You have to focus on yourself.”
Sabalenka leads 5-2, although Pegula came close in the Cincinnati finals last month. Both are on a roll. Sabalenka has won her past 11 matches, while Pegula has won 15 out of her last 16.
“We’ve had a lot of great battles in the past, really difficult, tight matches,” Sabalenka remarked of Pegula. “She’s playing some fantastic tennis. It appears that she has returned to her original path. “Can’t wait to play against her.”
One of these two will add a US Open trophy to their collection.