The US Open women’s final on Saturday features a clash of titans, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, both players pursuing Grand Slam glory while navigating personal heartbreak. World number two Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, is back in the New York final for the second consecutive year, aiming to avenge her 2023 loss to Coco Gauff. Pegula, meanwhile, is making her maiden major final appearance at the age of 30, having stunned top seed Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and then staged a remarkable comeback to overcome Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.
Sabalenka, a Belarusian based in Florida, enters the final with heavy emotions. Her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, a former NHL star, tragically passed away in March due to an apparent suicide at the age of 42. The loss left Sabalenka heartbroken, describing it as an “unthinkable tragedy.” She has also faced the loss of her father, Sergiy, who died of meningitis at just 43 years old in 2019. Her father, who introduced her to tennis at the age of six, played a crucial role in her tennis journey. “I’m just trying to fight because my dad wanted me to be No 1,” Sabalenka shared in the past. “I’m doing it for him.” Her rise to world number one in September 2023, a season highlighted by her maiden Grand Slam title in Australia and a runner-up finish in New York, was a tribute to her father’s legacy.
Pegula’s journey to the US Open final is marked by the unwavering support of her family, often associated with their wealth. Her parents, Terry and Kim Pegula, are billionaire owners of the Buffalo Bills NFL team and Buffalo Sabres NHL franchise. However, their luxurious lifestyle was abruptly altered in June 2022 when Kim suffered a cardiac arrest and sustained brain damage and memory loss. “My mom loved to work. She did everything and our family constantly told her how she needs to slow down and take time for herself,” Pegula wrote in a heartfelt Players Tribune post in February 2023. “She gave everyone so much of her time and effort. She lived it and loved it, and it was felt by everyone she met. Now we come to the realisation that all of that is most likely gone. That she won’t be able to be that person anymore,” she added.
Pegula, who had previously fallen short in Grand Slam quarterfinals six times, will have the roaring support of the 24,000-strong crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Sabalenka, on the other hand, will be ready to handle the crowd’s pressure after voicing subtle criticisms in her semifinal victory over New York-born Emma Navarro. “Last year it was a very tough experience, a very tough lesson,” Sabalenka reflected on her 2023 final loss to Gauff, where she let slip a one-set lead. “Today I was like, ‘No, no, no, Aryna, it’s not going to happen again’. You have to control your emotions. You have to focus on yourself,” she added. “There was people supporting for me. I was trying to focus on them.”
Sabalenka boasts a 5-2 head-to-head record against Pegula, winning their most recent clash in the Cincinnati final last month. That defeat was Pegula’s only loss in the North American hardcourt season, where she has racked up an impressive 15 wins in 16 matches. Victory on Saturday would see Sabalenka become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hardcourt Grand Slams in the same season. Pegula, meanwhile, would create history as only the third woman after Ann Jones (1969 Wimbledon) and Flavia Pennetta (2015 US Open) in the modern era to win her maiden major title after turning 30. “If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I’d be in the finals of the US Open, I would have laughed so hard,” admitted Pegula, who missed the European claycourt swing due to a back injury.
The stage is set for an emotionally charged and captivating US Open final. Both players carry the weight of personal tragedies, but also the burning desire to etch their names in tennis history. The world will be watching as Sabalenka and Pegula battle for the ultimate prize, showcasing resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
