Aryna Sabalenka won the US Open and her third Grand Slam crown with a thrilling victory over Jessica Pegula.
World number two Sabalenka triumphed 7-5, 7-5 to add the New York title to her Australian Open victories, AFP reported.
The 26-year-old Belarusian has strung together 40 winners to become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard-court majors in the same season.
"I have no words. I was so close to the US Open title so many times and I finally got it," said Sabalenka, last year's runner-up and a semifinalist in 2022 and 2023.
"Never give up on your dream. Work hard. I'm proud of myself," she added.
Pegula arrived in New York with a title from Toronto. She had won 15 of her 16 matches on the North American Summer Hard Court Tour.
“I wish she had let me win at least one set. "We had a tough match in Cincinnati a few weeks ago, and she (Sabalenka - ed.) is one of the best in the world," said the American.
“She's overpowered and won't give you anything. She can knock the rocket out of your hand. I'm glad I was able to stay there and continue to take advantage of my opportunities," Pegula added.
Sabalenka lost the 2023 US Open final to Pegula's compatriot Coco Gauff and on 7 September she struggled in the early stages, with a series of errors gifting the home favorite a 2-1 break.
But the powerful Sabalenka immediately equalized and broke again for 4:2.
Pegula, who saw off world number one Iga Svitek and then fought back for a set and a break to see off Karolina Mukhova in the semi-finals, held firm.
From 2-5 down, she fought back for 5-5 and broke Sabalenka when the Australian Open champion was serving for the set.
In the marathon 12th game, Pegula saved four set points, but not the fifth.
Sabalenka had 25 winners and 23 unforced errors to Pegula's 9 and 11, showing the dramatic contrast of styles in the 60-minute encounter.
For the second match in a row, Pegula lost a set and a break, and a double fault allowed Sabalenka to take a 3-0 lead.
Incredibly, the 30-year-old American fought back to lead 5-3 before Sabalenka broke in the 10th game. | BGNES
