Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was simply too good for Jessica Pegula yet again, winning their US Open semi-final 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday night in a rematch of last year’s final.
The No 1-seeded Sabalenka moved one victory away from becoming the first woman to claim consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams got three in a row from 2012 to 2014.
This match was far closer than the straight-set triumph for Sabalenka over Pegula 12 months ago that gave the 27-year-old from Belarus her third grand slam title, all on hard courts.
Since then, Sabalenka was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June, then was eliminated in the Wimbledon semi-finals by Amanda Anisimova in July.
When this one ended on Sabalenka’s third match point – after two bad errors on her initial chances – she rocked back on her heels, spread her arms and screamed in triumph.
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