Sabalenka defends US Open: “I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season”

Before the 2025 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka insisted her world No.1 ranking reflected an amazing season, regardless of whether or not it included victory at one of the four majors.

Yet when she defeated Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s final to win the tournament, her reaction suggested just how meaningful that major title was.

Sabalenka held off a late fightback from Anisimova – who was willed on by 23,000 home fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium – to prevail 6-3 7-6(3) and sank to the court, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed tears of joy.

She had become the first woman to defend her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014 and now owned four Grand Slam trophies. After two narrow major final defeats earlier in 2025, this particular trophy may have been the sweetest of them all.

“I think because of the finals [losses] earlier this season, this one felt different. You know, this one felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get this one,” she explained.

“After Australian Open [where she lost the final to Madison Keys] I thought that the right way would be just to forget it and move on, but then the same thing happened at the French Open [where she fell to Coco Gauff].

"It's trophy or nothing": Sabalenka’s lament from loss

“So after French Open I figured that, 'OK, maybe it's time for me to sit back and to look at those finals and to maybe learn something, because I didn't want it to happen again and again and again'.

“Going into this final I decided for myself that I'm going to control my emotions. I'm not going to let them take control over me, and doesn't matter what happens in the match.

“I think from what I understand today, that the lesson learned and I really hope it will never happen again if I'm going to be playing another finals, that I will be more in control.”

Sabalenka had also been the top seed and favourite at Wimbledon, where Anisimova surprised her in a three-set semifinal to reach her first major final.

The American then powered into a second at Flushing Meadows with wins over Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka in the quarters and semis respectively. When she faced Sabalenka in the final, she was bidding to knock over, in succession, a trio of superstars – who had won a collective 13 Grand Slam titles – to earn her first.

But Sabalenka was ready for her this time, having revealed she loved revenge matches.

The world No.1 played a tactically- and emotionally-astute match, keeping her unforced errors low and extending rallies with controlled aggression, while accepting Anisimova could and would go big. The American did, finishing with 22 winners to Sabalenka's 13, but almost double the number of unforced errors.

Anisimova also looked flat in patches of the match but came alive at certain junctures, most significantly when Sabalenka served for the title at 6-3, 5-4. Anisimova extracted an overhead error from Sabalenka at 30-30 on her way to breaking, a three-game run that put her ahead 6-5 and ignited the crowd.

“There was, like, two moments where I was really close to lose control, but at that moment I told myself, ‘No, it's not going to happen. It's absolutely OK’,” revealed Sabalenka, who entered the match 3-6 in nine career meetings against Anisimova.

“That's what you expect in the final, that the player is going to fight back and will do her best to get the win. So I was just trying to focus one step at a time.”

When Sabalenka held in the next game to send the second set to a tiebreak, the odds were stacked in her favour. She’d already won a women’s Open-era record of 18 consecutive tiebreaks, equalling the men’s record held by Andy Roddick.

As Roddick watched from the stands along with other tennis legends including Billie Jean King, Tracy Austin and trophy-presenter Chris Evert, Sabalenka took sole ownership of the record, clinching another major title in the process.

“She came out, and she was playing great tennis from the start. Obviously she's No.1, and she's very capable of playing amazing tennis, which she did that today. I give all the credit to her,” Anisimova said.

“I also have a pretty good record in tiebreaks, I'm pretty sure. I just wasn't playing great. That's the reason why she's No.1, and that's why I said that in my speech. I truly really admire her, and she puts in a lot of work, and that's why she's where she is.”

Muguruza on Sabalenka: “She's just a perfect personality for world No.1”

Sabalenka was going to remain at world No.1 regardless of what transpired in the final, but it’s a position that feels a whole lot more solidified with a major title behind it.

It continues a brilliant season during which she has won four titles from eight finals, and extends her lead in the points race to the WTA Finals – for which she has already qualified.

During an interview with ESPN after the final, Sabalenka said she was “speechless” when trying to process the enormity of her dominant position in the game, coupled with her latest Grand Slam triumph – achievements which she believed would take time to sink in.

Her first priority was to celebrate hard and soak up the victory, reward for her persistence throughout a challenging, yet ultimately satisfying, 2025 Grand Slam season.

“I knew that [with] the hard work we put in, like, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season,” she said.

“It means a lot to defend this title and to bring such great tennis on court. And to bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot.

“I'm super proud right now of myself.”

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