Three times ship’s law, Aryna Sabalenka seemed to think. She needed three match points tonight, in her third grand slam final of the year. After two lost finals, the number one in the world can finally call itself a grand slam winner in 2025. She defeated Amanda Anisimova in the final of the US Open in New York with 6-3 and 7-6
The tears came immediately. As soon as her American opponent took out her last ball, Sabalenka sobbed her knees. They were unusually strong emotions for the Belarusian, which, although has few problems expressing frustration, you don’t see crying often.
The emotions will undoubtedly be reinforced by the earlier finals she played this year, but which she let slip out of her hands in three sets. Partly because of the strong play of her opponents, but partly also because of the many mistakes she made herself, and the frustration that continued to grow as a result.
In her victory speech, she referred to it a few times, as when she turned to her opponent. “I know how much it hurts to lose in the final,” she said full of compassion. “But believe me, if you are your first [grand slam] wins – and I am sure that will happen […] – You will enjoy it even more! ”
It was Anisimova’s second grand slam final in a row, and although it did not go as dramatic as the previous one-which she lost in less than an hour with 6-0 6-0-the disappointment was great. Sobbing she sat on her bench, a towel for the face. “I didn’t fight hard enough for my dream today,” she later told the audience.
Certainly in the first set it was mainly Anisimova who determined the score. She hit much more winners than the Belarusian (13 compared to 3), but also many more unnecessary errors (15 compared to 4). Her forehand in particular was a problem: too often she just hit a ball, and as the game progressed and the mistakes piled up, she seemed to trust less and less on that battle.
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Several times she gave away her service game with those mistakes and made it difficult for herself. It made the competition quite changeable. Anisimova often alternated brilliant points with a series of unnecessary errors.
The changementaryness could be seen in the score of the first set: Anisimova created break chances in the first game of the game, and then just finding out a break. She immediately fought back, even came a break, but immediately gave it away again, to a large extent through her own mistakes. She then did that again, and Sabalenka no longer gave the last break ahead.
The Belarusian wit to keep a cool head at the important moments. She had to take a number of breaks, but was therefore not completely fooled. Sabalenka is used to playing offensively; Hard and with a lot of risk. But if it doesn’t work, there is a chance that the mistakes will stack up. However, this evening it went well: in the first set, Sabalenka only made four unnecessary errors.
Enthusiastic home crowd
The number one in the world started to serve better in the second set, and when she quickly came up a break, it seemed that she would not give it away. That was outside of her opponent, who after a few moderate games found her best game and Sabalenka apparently broke back out of nothing, with three beautiful winners in one game. Unfortunately for the American, who was encouraged with great enthusiasm by her home crowd, she could not enjoy it for long. Her best game disappeared just as suddenly as it had come, and Sabalenka immediately benefited, as she did the entire game. The Belarusian used 83 percent of the knits she received.
The game could have been over after about eighty minutes. It was 30-30 5-4 in the second set. The field was open, Sabalenka could have done everything with the ball. She went for the difficult option: a smash. But she hit the ball at the wrong time and couldn’t touch him with enough strength. The ball landed in the net. Instead of Championship Point, the breakpoint, and Anisimova did not waste her chance.
The American then held up impressive in her own service, but Sabalenka did not give her possibilities to pull the set to herself. She managed to leave the missed opportunity behind and not to let the game tilt further.
After a strong tiebreak in which she no longer gave away opportunities on her own service, she finished the competition before midnight Dutch time. And although with three grand slam finals and a semi -final you could have been able to speak of a successful year, it will probably feel for Sabalenka as if she still saved her tennis season at the last minute.
“It was difficult this year,” she finished her speech towards her team. “In those [verloren] Finals I was terrible against you. But come on, “she added laughing,” I’m worth it, right? “