Aryna Sabalenka uses 'hard lessons' to help win US Open title

September 8, 2024

Tennis News, US Open Tennis, WTA Tennis Players

Aryna Sabalenka uses ‘hard lessons’ to help win maiden US Open title

Aryna Sabalenka has reflected on how she used previous heartbreak at the US Open to help propel her onto winning the title for the first time.

Sabalenka beat American Jessica Pegula, 7-5 7-5, in the final on Arthur Ashe Stadium last night to claim her first US Open and third Grand Slam title.

The Belarusian won the final in straight sets, but it was definitely not plain-sailing for Sabalenka, who had to fend off fightbacks in both sets from Pegula that included losing five consecutive games.

After the match, Sabalenka spoke about how much of a dream this was after some near misses in the past, “I’m speechless right now. So many times I thought I was so close to getting the US Open title, it’s always been a dream of mine, and finally I got this beautiful trophy. It means a lot, it was a really difficult couple of weeks.”

Not a single skip on the tracklist. pic.twitter.com/RAXSA7YICp

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2024

Sabalenka had suffered some previous difficulty at the US Open, after facing two close semi-final defeats and a final loss to Coco Gauff last year.

However, when speaking in the press conference the World No.2 revealed that she used these previous mishaps to help her against Pegula, “Honestly, I thought I would have a lot of memories from the previous years, from which I have taken away some hard lessons, especially after last season.

“Today I kept reminding myself that this was the US Open final. Of course she would fight hard and it wouldn’t be easy. In the difficult moments I tried to stay strong, to remind myself that I have been through a lot and that I am strong enough to withstand this pressure.”

Sabalenka added, “I’ve had a lot of challenges on and off the court. I’ve also had the complications of not playing Wimbledon due to injury, which has been a new experience for me. The US Open is a very special place. I’ve also had very tough losses in the past. I always dreamed of having this beautiful trophy. That’s why it’s so special, because no matter what happened to me, I always came back stronger, I learned, and I didn’t give up on this dream.”

94.7% – Aryna Sabalenka in 2024 had the fifth-highest winning percentage in Women’s Singles Grand Slam events (94.7%, 18-1) this Century (minimum two tournaments played). Blast.#USOpen | @usopen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/sARik3P5Jc

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 7, 2024

As a result of Sabalenka’s US Open success, she gains 700 points in the rankings and has also officially qualified for the WTA Finals.

Inside the baseline…

It has been a hugely impressive few weeks for Aryna Sabalenka, who has won 12 consecutive matches after claiming both the US Open and Cincinnati Open titles. Even more impressive is the way that Sabalenka recomposed after being losing leads in both sets in the final, including going from 3-0 up to 5-3 down in that second set. Although Sabalenka is currently the World No.2, at the major tournaments she does feel more like the best player in the world – especially on hard courts.

Aryna Sabalenka and her run to the US Open title

After becoming only the fifth woman in the Open Era to win both hard court majors, we have looked back on Sabalenka’s run to her maiden US Open crown:

First Round – Beat Priscilla Hon (Q), 6-3 6-3

Second Round – Beat Lucia Bronzetti, 6-3 6-1

Third Round – Beat Ekaterina Alexandrova (29), 2-6 6-1 6-2

Fourth Round – Beat Elise Mertens, 6-2 6-4

Quarter-final – Beat Qinwen Zheng (7), 6-1 6-2

Semi-final – Beat Emma Navarro (13), 6-3 7-6(2)

Final – Beat Jessica Pegula (6), 7-5 7-5

5 – Aryna Sabalenka is the fifth player in the Open Era to win two Women’s Singles Grand Slam titles on hard court in the same season after Graf (1988 and 1989), Seles (1991 and 1992), Hingis (1997) and Kerber (2016). Double.#USOpen | @usopen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/qv4irArIGC

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) September 7, 2024