WORLD number one Aryna Sabalenka successfully defended her US Open title with a commanding straight-sets victory over American Amanda Anisimova on Saturday.
The Belarusian powerhouse secured her fourth career Grand Slam championship with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) triumph on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Sabalenka capitalised on Anisimova’s inconsistent service game throughout the match to cement her position at the top of women’s tennis.
The 27-year-old entered the final determined to claim her first major title of 2025 after suffering heartbreaking losses in both the Australian and French Open finals.
She delivered a performance that avenged those defeats and ended Anisimova’s hopes of redemption following her traumatic Wimbledon final loss to Iga Swiatek just two months earlier.
Sabalenka expressed her disbelief after the match, stating that all the tough lessons from previous finals were worth it for this victory.
Anisimova had historically held the advantage in their head-to-head meetings, winning six of their nine previous encounters including a Wimbledon semi-final.
Sabalenka drew upon her extensive experience in major finals to deny Anisimova her maiden Grand Slam title.
Anisimova acknowledged the difficulty of losing back-to-back finals and admitted she did not fight hard enough for her dreams during the match.
Sabalenka demonstrated her exceptional tiebreak prowess once again by winning her 19th consecutive breaker to seal the victory in one hour and 34 minutes.
The match turned on break point conversions, with Sabalenka capitalising on five of her six opportunities while Anisimova failed to convert crucial chances.
Anisimova briefly threatened a comeback in the second set after breaking back to level at 3-3, but Sabalenka quickly reasserted her dominance.
The American gifted Sabalenka break points with unforced errors at critical moments throughout the contest.
Sabalenka’s victory completes her successful title defence and reinforces her status as the world’s top-ranked player. – AFP
