World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka underlined her dominance on Saturday night with a straight-sets victory over Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), to defend her US Open title and capture her fourth Grand Slam singles trophy. She becomes the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win back-to-back titles in New York.
The triumph capped a season of near-misses for Sabalenka, who lost the 2025 Australian Open final to Madison Keys, the French Open final to Coco Gauff, and fell to Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals. But under the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, she delivered her cleanest performance of the year minimizing unforced errors and holding her nerve in the tightest moments.
An emotional Sabalenka collapsed on the court in tears before reflecting on her journey:
“It is crazy, all of the tough losses were worth it for this one.”
For Anisimova, the loss marked her second straight Grand Slam final defeat, but the 23-year-old American’s resurgent summer ensures her debut in the world’s top five. She struck 22 winners but was undone by 29 unforced errors and costly double faults.
Despite breaking Sabalenka when she served for the match, Anisimova could not stop the Belarusian’s remarkable tiebreak streak now at 19 straight wins.
Sabalenka’s latest triumph adds to her two Australian Open titles (2023, 2024) and last year’s US Open crown, cementing her hold on the world No. 1 ranking. For Anisimova, however, back-to-back finals signal a major breakthrough and the promise of a maiden slam on the horizon.
