Aryna Sabalenka is looking back to her ruthless best after battering her way to the title in Cincinnati after a mixed hard court season so far.
A July full of small hiccups seems to have totally subsided, with Aryna Sabalenka stealing away Jessica Pegula’s hopes of back-to-back WTA 100- titles.
Sabalenka arrived in the midwest off the back of a strange defeat to returning American star Amanda Anisimova.
With a challenging run in Cincinnati, Sabalenka was forced to confront the world number one Iga Swiatek in the semi-final.
Having won her sixth WTA 1000 title without dropping a set, Sabalenka is more or less the only obvious pick going into the US Open with defending champion Coco Gauff crumbling away of late.
Aryna Sabalenka joins Simona Halep in a prestigious club
Having taken 10 match points to finally secure the victory against Swiatek in the semi-finals, it was much more routine against Pegula.
As the American stretched for a backhand that could only dribble into the net, Sabalenka hit a century of wins at this level.
It becomes the Belarusian’s 100th win from 143 matches in WTA 1000 events.
She is the fastest to 100 wins in such tournaments since Simona Halep in 2017 who registered 100 wins from 141 matches in such tournaments.
With two remaining 1000 events this year in China, Sabalenka will have ample opportunity to continue her march to a further milestone, with Serena Williams predictably out in front with a ridiculous 263 wins.
Aryna Sabalenka places herself at the top of the pile for US Open glory
A run to the final last year ended in heartbreak as Gauff rallied back to win her maiden major title in front of a roaring home crowd.
This summer however has seen Gauff to secure any sort of statement win, while also suffering unusual defeats to players ranked considerably lower than her.
Gauff’s Toronto thrashing by Diana Shnaider initially looked less problematic, with her outing in Canada the first hard court she’d played since March.
However after Yulia Putintseva upset the American, it has since paved the way for a new champion, with Sabalenka the only player definitively stepping up.
The two-time Australian champion is the in-form player alongside Pegula, however the American is notoriously poor at grand slams having never reached beyond the last eight.
If you’re backing anyone in New York, make it Sabalenka.
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