And just like that--Sabalenka became a U.S. Open champion

not letting go anytime soon 🏆@SabalenkaA | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/B3mrNzzhKE

— wta (@WTA) September 7, 2024

Aryna Sabalenka, seeded 2nd at the U.S. Open, was the favorite to win the championship, especially after her emphatic victory last month in Cincinnati. And she didn't disappoint--last year's runner-up went one better yesterday, defeating 6th seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 to secure the championship. It was a very good match, worthy of a major final, and up to the end, Pegula tempted the crowd with the probability of a third set, but it wasn't to be. 

It wasn't that Sabalenka didn't have lapses--she did. But her skill as a closer, made possible by her relatively new-found mental strength, got her through in two competitive sets. 

The victory had to be especially sweet, for the Belarusian star has been very close to winning the U.S. Open for several years. In 2021, she was the semifinal victim of giant-killer Leylah Fernandez, and in 2022, she lost again in the semifinals, this time to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Last year, Sabalenka made it to the final, but lost to Coco Gauff.

The world number 2, known for her candor and her sense of humor, has had her share of demons over the past few years, but she has now corrected her problematic serve and overcome her out-of-control emotions. The result is that the powerful Sabalenka, who also possesses the skills of an elite doubles player, is the unofficial boss of hard court competition, and is, in fact, a major threat on any surface.

The third American woman to make the US Open singles final at 30+ years old.

You have so much to be proud of, @JPegula 🙌 pic.twitter.com/r7Inj3J24S

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2024

Pegula, in some ways, is the anti-Sabalenka. Quiet and steady, with a keen intelligence and a lower-key sense of humor, the 30-year-old New York native is known as Ms. Consistency. Pegula has progressed over the years to become one of the best players on the tour, but she had her own "demon" with which to contend: She had made the quarterfinals of majors six times, but had never gotten to then next level. At the U.S. Open, she was relieved to be part of the final four, and then she was suddenly one of only two women left standing in Flushing Meadows. 

did not drop a set en route to the title 🔥@JelenaOstapenk8 x Lyudmyla Kichenok#USOpen pic.twitter.com/L1UOHQwDE1

— wta (@WTA) September 6, 2024

On Friday, we also saw a doubles team lift a U.S. Open trophy. 7th seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Alona Ostapenko defeated Kiki Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai 6-4, 6-3. This is Kichenok and Ostapenko's first major title; they were the runners-up at the Australian Open this year. 

In an odd twist, Kichenok was supposed to have gotten married last Wednesday, but the wedding had to be postponed because she and Ostapenko couldn't stop winning.