By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Kena Betancur / AFP – Getty Images
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka defeats No. 4 Jessica Pegula (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) in an epic three-set showdown on Thursday night to return to the US Open final.
Aryna Sabalenka has not missed a Grand Slam final on hard courts since 2022. Sabalenka has now won at least a set in 105 consecutive Grand Slam matches. On Saturday, she will defend her crown against Amanda Anisimova, who defeated Naomi Osaka.
Sabalenka and Pegula brought out the best in each other. The fans got their money’s worth. Pegula played outstandingly in the first set. Sabelnka didn’t quit and rallied in the second set. At some point during the match, Pegula changed her racket. It helped her, but Sabalenka managed to win the final two sets.
The third set was the best set of the match. Pegula kept fighting and making it difficult for Sabalenka. You can see that Sabalenka was getting irritated with some of the mistakes she made. But Sabalenka’s aggressive and serve was magnificent in the remaining parts of the third set.
“I think I played really great Tennis,” Sabalenka said. “I handled pressure really well, and I’m super proud of this win. Happy to be in another final.”
Sabalenka and Pegula have played against each other ten times. Their last meeting was at the Miami Open, which Sabalenka won. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head matchup 8-2.
Pegula is disappointed in not winning the match. She felt she played at a high level. The outcome of the game didn’t work in her favor. Great match, great tournament for Pegula. She met with the media after the game.
“I played some excellent points to win the first,” Pegula said. “She upped her level, started serving a lot better in the second, and then I felt it was even in the third. There wasn’t much difference. I felt like we were both serving pretty well, and she came out with some ridiculous shots, like on a break point. I didn’t feel like I did much wrong.”
Sabalenka is incredibly skilled and very consistent. She’s a fierce competitor and will be prepared for the finals. Anisimova is looking to make history and try to change the narrative. Her impressive comeback against Osaka will give her more motivation and momentum to try to beat the best Tennis player in the game, Sabalenka.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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