Contesting her fourth Grand Slam semifinal of the year, Aryna Sabalenka put on a show for the fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Dropping the first set to home-favorite Jessica Pegula, the world number one looked to be in trouble early doors.
Raising her level in the second set, Sabalenka levelled things up at 4-6, 6-3, taking the semifinal to a decider.
There, she saved four break points, showing her resolve against the inspired American, who was looking for revenge in a rematch of last year’s US Open final.
Eventually, after two hours and five minutes of action, Sabalenka defeated Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking her place in Saturday’s championship match.
Reacting to Sabalenka’s semifinal win, former British star Annabel Croft said she did something ‘jaw-dropping’.
Annabel Croft says the way Aryna Sabalenka handled the pressure was ‘jaw-dropping’
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live after the match, Croft couldn’t quite believe what she’d just seen from the defending champion.
“I’m absolutely in awe of how she’s just closed out that match. You have to take your hat off to her, and take a bow,” she said.
“She was extraordinary, in that kind of pressurized situation, it couldn’t have been more intense. With 24,000 people ready to take it further into a tiebreaker, the way she’s just handled that much pressure is absolutely jaw-dropping.
“I can only take my hat off to what we’ve just witnessed, amazing, and thoroughly deserved that victory.”
The fans on Arthur Ashe Stadium were fair to both players, for the most part, but were hoping to see the American secure a late break and take Sabalenka to a match tiebreak.
Withstanding the pressure, Sabalenka saved several break points, hitting some impressive winners to seal her place in the final.
“I’m just looking at the stats, 43 winners, and several of those came in that last game, to 21 from [Jessica] Pegula,” said Croft.
“What a high-quality match, electricity pulsating crowd here in the Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight, it was amazing, wonderful, wonderful contest.”
As impressed as she was with Sabalenka, Croft was equally pleased with Pegula’s performance.
“She could well be very hard on herself, but I’m not sure she could have done much more, to be honest,” she said.
“I just think the bludgeoning power that Sabalenka was able to bring out of the bag just when she needed it the most was just extraordinary.
“Particularly because she had been teetering, the first set wasn’t good, was it. She’d had opportunities, and had fluctuated with her levels, I thought we were ready to see some more of that, but quite the opposite.
“She brought an even higher level when she really needed it, so top marks to Sabalenka, just a terrific contest.”
Sabalenka will need to produce another impressive display in the final if she is to add to her Grand Slam tally in New York.
Can Aryna Sabalenka win her first Grand Slam of the year at the US Open?
For all the success Sabalenka has enjoyed in 2025, she has yet to get her hands on a major trophy.
After losing the first two Grand Slam finals of the year, Sabalenka lost in the semifinals of Wimbledon, coming up just short on Centre Court.
Aryna Sabalenka’s 2025 Grand Slam defeats
- 2025 Australian Open – Lost in F to Madison Keys
- 2025 French Open – Lost in F to Coco Gauff
- 2025 Wimbledon – Lost in SF to Amanda Anisimova
Unfortunately for Sabalenka, the woman who beat her at Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova, will stand across the net from her in Saturday’s final.
Beating Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka in back-to-back matches, the American advanced to her second major final of the year.
Anisimova also holds the head-to-head lead over Sabalenka, 6-3, having picked up several wins over the Belarusian over recent years.
Looking at the head-to-head, you’d probably give Anisimova the edge for Saturday’s final, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
Playing her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon just two months ago, Anisimova crumbled under the pressure, losing to Swiatek in 57 minutes, failing to win a single game in the biggest match of her professional career.
Whether she will suffer the same fate when she plays her second Grand Slam final this weekend remains to be seen, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
Sabalenka and Anisimova will contest the 2025 US Open final on Saturday, September 6.
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