Aryna Sabalenka storms back into US Open final as Osaka, Anisimova set for showdown

Reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka showed her resilience once again at Flushing Meadows, clawing back from a set down to defeat American fourth seed Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday and book her return to the US Open final.

World No. 1 Sabalenka, 27, is now on the verge of history. She will face either Naomi Osaka or Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s title clash, aiming to become the first player since Serena Williams (2012–14) to successfully defend a women’s singles crown in New York.

“This was a really tough match—she played incredible tennis as always and I had to work really hard to get this win,” Sabalenka said. “Just super happy to be back in the final and hopefully I can go all the way again.”


The victory marks her third straight US Open final and extends her record of consistency at the top of the women’s game, with appearances in four of the last five Grand Slam finals. Yet, she remains stuck on three career majors, her last coming in New York a year ago.

Sabalenka digs deep

The match against Pegula mirrored last year’s final in both cast and script. Sabalenka landed the first break of the opener, but errors crept in at key moments as Pegula reeled off the last two games to seal the first set 6-4.

Resetting quickly, the top seed imposed herself in the second, storming to a 3-0 lead and riding that cushion to level the contest.

A decisive early break in the third put Sabalenka 2-0 ahead, and though she wobbled on serve—saving multiple break points—her power game held up. After squandering two match points, she finally sealed victory with a thunderous forehand winner, her relief as evident as her roar.

A tale of two comebacks

Waiting for her in the final will be either four-time major winner Osaka or resurgent Anisimova—both with compelling comeback stories of their own.

For Anisimova, who first broke through as a French Open semi-finalist at 17, the road back has been steep. She stepped away from the sport for eight months in 2023 to battle depression and fell outside the top 400. But a run to the Wimbledon final this summer vaulted her into the top 10, despite the bitter memory of a 6-0, 6-0 drubbing by Iga Świątek. Redemption came swiftly, as she stunned the second seed in the US Open quarters.

“I feel like she’s really found her groove. She’s put in a lot of work this past year,” Anisimova said of Osaka, who looms in the semifinal. “I feel like she’s really found her momentum here.”

For Osaka, this fortnight marks her best Grand Slam run since the 2021 Australian Open, her last major triumph. Remarkably, whenever Osaka has reached a Grand Slam quarter-final, she has gone on to lift the trophy—including two titles at Flushing Meadows.

That streak faces a stern test against the big-hitting Anisimova, whom Osaka called “one of the most talented players on tour.” As the Japanese star put it: “I think no one wants to see her name next to theirs.”