No. 1 \u2014 in big, bold letters.<\/p>\n
If there was any debate on the women\u2019s side who is tennis\u2019 best, Aryna Sabalenka made it clear in Queens over the last two weeks.<\/p>\n
The top-ranked player in the world, needing to reach the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open to hold on to that ranking, became Flushing\u2019s first repeat women\u2019s champion since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012-14. <\/p>\n
Sabalenka overcame a few shaky moments in each set Saturday, but managed to knock off rising American and eighth-seeded Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 7-6 (3), in a back-and-forth final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s trouble aside, the Belarusian superstar\u2019s repeat performance as champion played out somewhat routinely, dropping just one set in the tournament.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka won the final in two sets after a final tiebreak. Annie Wermiel \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates here 2025 US Open win on Sept. 6. Annie Wermiel \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI think because of the finals [losses] earlier this season, this one felt different. This one felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get this one,\u201d said Sabalenka, who walked into the news conference room with a bottle of champagne under her arm and a smile splashed across her face. \u201cI knew that, [with] the hard work we put in, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
After requiring three sets to take down fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula in the semifinals, Sabalenka needed only 1 hour, 34 minutes to claim her fourth major crown.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka kisses the U.S. Open trophy after clinching a second consecutive title with her Sept. 6 victory. Annie Wermiel for the NY Post<\/p>\n
Amanda Anisimova came up just short in the final. Annie Wermiel \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
Sabalenka reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slams in 2025, losing in the finals at the Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and French Open (to Coco Gauff). <\/p>\n
She atoned for those narrow misses against Americans at the U.S. Open by beating another one who had eliminated her in the Wimbledon semifinals.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka was determined to keep her composure this time after she let her emotions get to her in the previous two major finals. <\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka reacts after winning the U.S. Open on Sept. 6. EPA\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
One such moment came when she was serving for the match, up 5-4. <\/p>\n
At 30-all, she netted an overhand smash into the net. <\/p>\n
While Sabalenka lost the game, she later held to force a tiebreaker, then won six consecutive points after Anisimova started it with a service ace.<\/p>\n
Amanda Anisimova reacts during her match at the U.S. Open on Sept. 6. REUTERS<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing into this final, I decided for myself that I\u2019m going to control my emotions. I\u2019m not going to let them take control over me, and [it] doesn\u2019t matter what happens in the match,\u201d she said. \u201cMy mindset was just going out there, fight for every point. Doesn\u2019t matter the situation. Just focus on myself and focus on things that I have to do to win the match.\u201d<\/p>\n
At one point, Sabalenka won nine of 11 games in the match, overwhelming Anisimova with her consistency, precision and power. <\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka celebrates with her team after winning the U.S. Open on Sept. 6. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka holds the U.S. Open trophy after winning a second consecutive title with her Sept. 6 win. Annie Wermiel for the NY Post<\/p>\n
The American lost her serve five times and committed 29 unforced errors, nearly double that of Sabalenka\u2019s 15. <\/p>\n
She was extremely aggressive, sometimes to a fault.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just trying to put that speed, that pressure, back on her and see how she can handle it,\u201d the 27-year-old Sabalenka said.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka in action in the US Open final on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Annie Wermiel \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
Amanda Anisimova returns a shot on Saturday at the U.S. Open on Sept. 6, 2025. Annie Wermiel \/ New York Post<\/p>\n
The first set was a roller coaster. <\/p>\n
Sabalenka started by fighting off three break points, then breaking Anisimova to go up 2-0. <\/p>\n
Anisimova, 24, responded by reeling off three consecutive games, only to drop the final four, and lose the opening set. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The defending U.S. Open champion got better as the set went along, winning 16 of the final 20 points of the set.<\/p>\n
The start of the second set saw Sabalenka continuing to find her serve, holding at love, while Anisimova was struggling with hers. <\/p>\n
She was broken again in the third game of the set, Sabalenka ripping a backhand winner down the line.<\/p>\n
Anisimova broke Sabalenka to get back to even at 3-3, but then lost her serve again. <\/p>\n
She would force a tiebreak, but much like the first set, Anisimova was given an opening and couldn\u2019t take advantage of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing in two finals in a row is great, but then it\u2019s also super hard,\u201d Anisimova said. \u201cI think I didn\u2019t fight hard enough for my dreams today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No. 1 \u2014 in big, bold letters. If there was any debate on the women\u2019s side who is…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":206963,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[32349,2477,62,1464,67,132,68,20886],"class_list":{"0":"post-206962","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tennis","8":"tag-amanda-anisimova","9":"tag-aryna-sabalenka","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tennis","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us","15":"tag-us-open-tennis"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/206963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}