NEW YORK (Reuters) -Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka beat American sixth seed Jessica Pegula 7-5 7-5 in the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday.
Sabalenka blocked out the wild cheers for the home hope on Arthur Ashe Stadium to break Pegula in the final game and win her first title at Flushing Meadows.
A year after coming up short in the final, the second seed fought back from a break down in both sets to claim victory and fell to the court in her moment of triumph.
The 30-year-old Pegula had waited a long time to reach her first major final but could not match her opponent’s raw power despite the noisy backing of the New York crowd.
Sabalenka claimed her third Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open twice.
