Sabalenka Triumphs in New York: A Victory Worth Waiting For

Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka won her first U.S. Open title by defeating American Jessica Pegula in straight sets. The victory came after years of near-misses in the tournament, marking her third Grand Slam title. Despite the home crowd's support for Pegula, Sabalenka's power and precision secured her the trophy.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka hoisted the trophy in New York at last after years of near misses, outmaneuvering American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the women's final of the U.S. Open on Saturday. Sabalenka captured her first title at Flushing Meadows a year after falling short in the final. Twice before, she reached the semi-finals. On Saturday, she blocked out the wild cheers for the hometown favorite on Arthur Ashe Stadium to break Pegula in the final game.

'So many times I thought I was so close to get the U.S. Open title. Finally, I get this beautiful trophy,' said the second seed, who fought back from a breakdown in both sets to claim victory and fell to the court in her moment of triumph. Pegula, 30, had waited a long time to reach her first major final and arrived in New York in fine form after winning in Toronto. However, she could not match her opponent's raw power despite the noisy backing of the New York crowd.

'To be standing here in my first Grand Slam final and then coming off such a hot summer, I mean I didn't expect it so I'm just really grateful for the last few weeks of tennis,' said Pegula. The roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium was closed due to heavy rain, and the players traded breaks twice as they settled into the stormy affair in front of a celebrity-packed house. Sabalenka held her serve through a four-deuce 11th game and fought through a spine-tingling 12th, mixing precision at the net with her usual power from the baseline before breaking her opponent on the fifth set point.

(With inputs from agencies.)