US Open Women’s Singles Final Preview: Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula
The US Open women’s singles final takes centre stage tonight, as Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula battle it out for one of the biggest titles in sport and a record $3.6million in prize money.
Sabalenka and Pegula were the two in-form players coming into the New York major after reaching the final in Cincinnati, and they have certainly lived up to that promise.
However, it has not all been plain-sailing for Pegula, who looked to be exiting the tournament in the semi-final before making an impressive comeback.
How did they reach the US Open Final?
Although many will be watching the 2024 US Open for the first time this weekend, it is important to remember how they made it to the final.
Here are Sabalenka and Pegula’s respective runs to the US Open final:
Aryna Sabalenka
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)
Jessica Pegula
First Round – Beat Shelby Rogers, 6-4 6-3
Second Round – Beat Sofia Kenin, 7-6(4) 6-3
Third Round – Beat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 6-3 6-3
Fourth Round – Beat Diana Shnaider (18), 6-4 6-2
Quarter-final – Beat Iga Swiatek (1), 6-2 6-4
Semi-final – Beat Karolina Muchova, 1-6 6-4 6-2
Jessica Pegula won this match. pic.twitter.com/Ihrn1L8gEj
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2024
Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula Head-to-head
As previously mentioned, the US Open final will be a rematch of the recent Cincinnati Open final, where Sabalenka got the better of her American opponent.
Sabalenka does have the advantage in the head-to-head with Pegula, but it has not always gone the Belarusian’s way:
Sabalenka vs Pegula: 5-2
- Pegula beat Sabalenka, 6-2 2-6 6-3 (Cincinnati Open 2020)
- Sabalenka beat Pegula, 6-3 6-1 (Roland Garros 2020)
- Sabalenka beat Pegula, 6-1 6-2 (Madrid Open 2021)
- Sabalenka beat Pegula, 6-1 6-4 (Italian Open 2022)
- Sabalenka beat Pegula, 6-3 7-5 (WTA Finals – Fort Worth 2022)
- Pegula beat Sabalenka, 6-4 6-3 (WTA Finals – Cancun 2023)
- Sabalenka beat Pegula, 6-3 7-5 (Cincinnati Open 2024)
Previous US Open Records
Despite Pegula’s form coming into the US Open suggesting that she had all the credentials to achieve great things in New York, the American had actually not surpassed the quarter-final of a Grand Slam prior to this tournament.
However, on her seventh attempt at winning a major quarter-final, Pegula emphatically beat World No.1 Iga Swiatek to break that trend and is now one match away from a first Grand Slam title.
For Sabalenka, going deep at Grand Slam tournaments has been no issue in recent years, after winning two consecutive Australian Open titles and reaching at least the quarter-finals of the last seven major events she has played.
Last year was Sabalenka’s best performance at the US Open after reaching the final, but she was unable to go all the way after being.beaten by Coco Gauff. Will she be able to beat an American on this occasion?
All will be revealed when the US Open women’s singles final gets underway later today (Saturday 7th September) at 4pm EDT/9pm BST.
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