New York, 8 Sept

Aryna Sabalenka left the US Open in tears 12 months ago as the runner-up. She exited in the semifinals each of the two years before that, other losses that were difficult to digest.

On Saturday, Sabalenka was in a joking mood after winning her first championship at Flushing Meadows and the third Grand Slam title of her career. Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, got past No. 6 Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking final under a closed retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium, displaying her typical power while sprinkling in some variation to add this triumph to those at the Australian Open each of the past two seasons.

“I had a lot of tough lessons here ... especially last year,” Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, said after grabbing the last two games of the first set and the last four of the match. “In those tough moments (Saturday), I was just trying to stay strong and trying to remind myself that I have been through a lot and I'm strong enough to hold under this pressure.”

Also driving her: what she called "all those tough losses in the past here.” That includes semifinal defeats in 2021 against Leylah Fernandez and in 2022 against No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

At some point, Pegula will take stock of what she accomplished over the past month, including the run at the US Open that led to her first Grand Slam final. And, in all likelihood, she will be pleased. Proud, even.

That sort of perspective was difficult, though, in the immediate aftermath of a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Aryna Sabalenka at Flushing Meadows on Saturday night with the championship on the line.

“Everyone is like, Congrats! Amazing tournament!' I'm like, 'Eh, whatever,” said Pegula, a 30-year-old American who had never before been past the quarterfinals at a major. “I think maybe once I decompress a little bit, I'm sure I will be a little bit more appreciative and see all of that.”

She will rise from No. 6 to No. 3 in the WTA rankings on Monday, equaling her career high, after this post-Olympics stretch on North American hard courts that included a title in Toronto and runner-up finishes at both the Cincinnati Open and US Open. -PTI