NEW YORK — By winning the U.S. Open, Aryna Sabalenka established herself as the preeminent force in women’s tennis of the moment — but world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will have something to say about that.
Sabalenka’s gritty 7-5, 7-5 win over Jessica Pegula felt like a landmark victory for a number of reasons. It is Sabalenka’s first Grand Slam away from the Australian Open, and it makes her the only WTA player to currently hold two majors. Most of all, it demonstrates clear growth from a year ago.
Last September, Sabalenka wilted on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the final against Coco Gauff. She won the first set but imploded thereafter, losing pretty comfortably in three, and a similar thing happened against Swiatek in the semifinals in 2022, when the Pole won the tournament.
It looked like history might be repeating itself against another American on Saturday, when Sabalenka lost five straight games to trail 5-3 in the second set.
Instead she won four consecutive games of her own to haul herself over the line, leaning on the variety she has developed in the past year, and which also helped her to pinch the first set with a drop shot and a clinical volley.
With improvements to her game and to her mental strength, Sabalenka is trending upwards, also achieving complete dominance on…
