'Super proud' Sabalenka repeats as Open champ

NEW YORK -- After two disappointing finishes in major finals this year, and an equally devastating loss to Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka arrived here last month eager to defend her US Open crown and end her Grand Slam season with a title.

On Saturday, again facing the American Anisimova, in front of 24,000 loud fans under the roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka silenced the crowd, the naysayers and her self-doubt with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory in 94 minutes.

In a battle between two of the hardest hitters on tour, Sabalenka looked well on her way to victory in the second set before nerves appeared to creep in and Anisimova raised her level with her back against the wall.

Sabalenka, of Belarus, was twice up a break in that set and was serving for the match at 5-4. With just two points separating her from the title, she had the chance to get closer with a routine overhead smash. But instead, she hit the ball into the net. She dropped her racket in disbelief.

Sabalenka later explained that she came close to losing her cool and letting her emotions get the best of her in that moment, but instead, she took a deep breath and tried to move on.

"I was like, 'OK, it happens. It's in the past. Let's focus on the next one,'" she said.

Anisimova then won the next point and extended the match.

But after the pair split the next two games, Sabalenka was in firm control of the tiebreak. She needed three match points but clinched the victory after Anisimova's return to her serve sailed out of bounds.

Sabalenka, 27, then fell to her knees and covered her head in her hands as she sobbed in celebration while a slew of former champions, such as Billie Jean King, Tracy Austin and Andy Roddick, and A-list celebrities, including Naomi Watts, Shonda Rhimes, Breanna Stewart and Stephen Colbert, looked on.

"I think because of the finals earlier this season, this one felt different," Sabalenka said in a packed news conference, with a bottle of champagne and a pair of goggles next to her. "You know, this one felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get this one.

"I knew that [because of] the hard work we put in, like, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season. So, yeah, when I fell, it was like truly emotions because it means a lot to defend this title and to bring such great tennis on court. And to bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot. I'm super proud right now of myself."

With the win, she became the first woman to claim consecutive US Open titles since Serena Williams did so in 2012, '13 and '14, and was the first woman to reach three major finals in a season since Williams and Angelique Kerber did so in 2016.

Saturday marked Sabalenka's fourth major title, all of which have been on hard court and earned since the start of the 2023 season. She's the fifth player in the Open era to win her first four Slam titles all on the same surface.

Sabalenka also avoided becoming the first woman to lose three major finals in a season since Justine Henin in 2006.

Anisimova, who was playing in her second consecutive major final, admitted she struggled with her serve because of the bright lights under the roof, explaining she couldn't see her ball during her toss. But she conceded that Sabalenka played an "amazing" match.

"She was playing very aggressive and doing all the right things, so she made it very difficult for me today," Anisimova, 24, said. "I mean, I didn't win today, so of course, I didn't do enough. That's just the reality, and I have to accept that. I feel like if I fought harder, then maybe I would have given myself more of a chance, but I feel like I was really kind of in the backseat today."

Having held the world No. 1 ranking since October and among the favorites for every tournament all year, it had been a challenging season for Sabalenka, who lost in the final at January's Australian Open, where she was the defending champion, to Madison Keys. Sabalenka reached the final at the French Open in June, but lost to Coco Gauff, and went viral for her speech and postmatch comments.

A devastated Sabalenka regrouped after the loss to Anisimova at the All England Club in July. She spent a week away from tennis, vacationing in Mykonos, Greece, and trying to learn from everything she had been through all season.

"It really gave me time to think about my approach for the big matches, the mentality I have, the mentality I need, and how it's different than the matches before, and what needs to stay the same," Sabalenka told ESPN at the Cincinnati Open last month. "I realize I need to respect my opponent a little bit more, really fight for every point, but also I have to respect myself more, too."

Speaking to the media Friday, her team -- which has added former world No. 1 doubles player and fellow Belarusian Max Mirnyi as a consultant and "new voice" since Wimbledon -- said it has worked on managing her emotions as well as emphasizing the importance of finding ways to win even when she's not playing her best.

"The goal always has been we work on what we need to work on right now," Jason Stacy, her performance coach, said. "When she owns that level, then we start to add another layer. When she really understands and owns that level, we add another layer. That's all we've been doing over the years.

"Even if you look at numbers and stats, you see it's been a steady process for us. Where we are right now is at that point where her skill level, her emotional control level, her understanding of the game is at that level where we can pretty much count on she's going to be in the end of every tournament. Whenever we decide to show up, she's going to be in the finals or very near that. What we're doing now is trying to fine-tune how we communicate, how she understands the bigger picture and understands herself a bit deeper to win more of those finals."

Standing on the stage during the trophy ceremony Saturday, Sabalenka told Anisimova that she knew how much the major losses hurt but added that she was "going to enjoy it even more" when she inevitably won one.

Despite the runner-up finish, it has been an incredible season for Anisimova. Less than two years removed from a mental health break from the sport -- she was showing her paintings in a New York art gallery exhibition during the US Open in 2023 -- she won the then-biggest title of her career at the 1000-level Doha in February, reached her first grass-court final at Queen's Club in June and then reached her first major final at Wimbledon in July, losing to Iga Swiatek. Anisimova made her top-10 debut immediately after.

During the US Open, Anisimova had an impressive run to the final, avenging her previous loss to Swiatek, a six-time Slam champion, in the quarterfinals, and then defeating four-time major winner Naomi Osaka in a three-set thriller in the semifinals.

Anisimova will rise to a career-high ranking of No. 4, and become the No. 2 American, behind only Gauff, after her seven-match showing in New York.

Though her loss to Swiatek at the All England Club had been a staggering 6-0, 6-0 affair, Anisimova refused to suffer a similar fate against Sabalenka in front of the supportive crowd. Anisimova immediately fell into a 2-0, 30-love deficit before fighting back and winning the next four points to get the break. She then won the next two games before Sabalenka raised her level yet again.

By the end of the match, Anisimova had 22 winners to Sabalenka's 13, but also had nearly double the number of unforced errors (29 to 13).

Still, despite her obvious improvement compared with the Wimbledon final, Anisimova couldn't hide her disappointment but said she hoped it wouldn't be her last time playing in a major final.

"I've been really motivated, and I really wanted to give myself the best shot in the final," Anisimova said, "I don't know. Like, making it to the final is obviously really special, but it would have been a dream come true to make it all the way. But, yeah, I mean, of course I'm motivated, and I hope I can keep working really hard to give myself more opportunities to be in more and more finals."