Sabalenka crushes Pegula as a third straight US Open title moves within reach

Sabalenka crushes Pegula as a third straight US Open title moves within reach
Aryna Sabalenka is one victory away from a rare US Open three-peat, but her latest win exposed two competing realities: Jessica Pegula could challenge the champion for stretches, yet Sabalenka remains the tournament’s defining force.

The top-seeded Belarusian defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in a semifinal that began as a close contest and ended as a demonstration of power. Sabalenka struck 29 winners to Pegula’s 12, never dropped serve and converted the match’s turning points with ruthless precision. Her victory extended her US Open winning streak to 19 matches.

From Pegula’s perspective, the match was less a collapse than an encounter with an opponent operating beyond reach. “She played insane. She played a super-high level,” Pegula said, adding that she did not know whether there was “much I could do today.” Her assessment matched the scoreline: Sabalenka survived the first set’s only break point, then attacked Pegula’s second serve and pulled away.

The conservative account emphasizes the same shift but frames it as Sabalenka’s most complete tennis of the tournament. “I’m just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis,” Sabalenka said after securing her place in Saturday’s final. She later described herself as “so desperate for the win,” a revealing contrast to the clinical control she displayed once the match turned.

The broader stakes extend beyond the final. Sabalenka can become the first woman since Serena Williams from 2012-14 to win three consecutive US Open titles, although Elena Rybakina is set to replace her as world No. 1 next week. Sabalenka’s response—“I don’t care”—captures the hierarchy of her priorities: the ranking may be temporary, but another New York championship would make her dominance historic.