On a rain-soaked Saturday night in New York, Aryna Sabalenka cemented her status as one of the game’s fiercest competitors, overcoming Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 (3) to claim her second consecutive U.S. Open title. With this victory, Sabalenka, the 27-year-old powerhouse from Belarus, became the first woman since Serena Williams (2012-2014) to win back-to-back championships at Flushing Meadows. For Sabalenka, this marks her fourth Grand Slam trophy—all on hard courts—and a moment of redemption after coming up short in major finals earlier this year.
The atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium was electric, with roughly 24,000 fans on their feet for much of the contest. The retractable roof was closed due to a downpour before the match, creating windless, high-energy conditions under artificial lights—ideal for two of the tour’s biggest hitters. But even with the crowd’s raucous support for the American Anisimova, Sabalenka’s poise and adaptability proved decisive.
Sabalenka’s journey to this title wasn’t without its bumps. Earlier in 2025, she finished as runner-up at the Australian Open to Madison Keys and at the French Open to Coco Gauff. Those heartbreaks, she later admitted, were tough pills to swallow. “After the Australian Open, I thought that the right way would be just to forget it and move on. But then the same thing happened at the French Open,” Sabalenka reflected during her post-match press conference, Champagne bottle and dark goggles in tow. “So after French Open, I figured that, OK, maybe it’s time for me to sit back and to look at those finals and to maybe learn something, because I didn’t want it to happen again and again and again.”
Her willingness to learn and adapt was on full display against Anisimova, a 24-year-old from New Jersey who came into the final as the No. 8 seed. Anisimova, known for her aggressive baseline play and fearless shot-making, had beaten Sabalenka in their Wimbledon semifinal just a couple of months prior. This time, though, Sabalenka refused to let the past dictate her fate.
Early in the match, Sabalenka raced to a 2-0, 30-love lead, prompting some to wonder if Anisimova might suffer another lopsided defeat like her 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon final. But Anisimova quickly steadied herself, breaking back and eventually taking a 3-2 lead. The crowd, sensing a potential upset, erupted as Anisimova capped a key game with a backhand and a forehand winner. Sabalenka, however, remained unflappable, taking the next four games to close out the first set 6-3.
The second set brought a dramatic twist. With Sabalenka just two points from victory, she misfired on what should have been a routine overhead smash—dumping the ball into the net and handing Anisimova a break chance. It was a moment that could have unraveled her, especially given her recent history in major finals. Instead, she paused, took a deep breath, and refocused. “I just let the doubt get into my head,” Sabalenka explained. “But then I turned around and I took a deep breath in, and I was like, ‘OK. It happens. It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the next one.’”
That reset was crucial. Though Anisimova managed to break serve, Sabalenka quickly regrouped, and after another tense 15 minutes, she sealed the match in a tiebreaker. “She broke me,” Sabalenka said with a loud laugh. “I was like, ‘OK. ... Reset.’”
Statistically, the match was a study in contrasts. Anisimova finished with 22 winners—nearly double Sabalenka’s 13—but also racked up 29 unforced errors to Sabalenka’s 15. Many points ended on Anisimova’s terms, with Sabalenka content to counterpunch and absorb pressure rather than dictate play. “Going to this match, I knew what to expect,” Sabalenka told reporters. “She’s an aggressive player. She plays really aggressive tennis, and I think that at Wimbledon I was overthinking. I was doubting my decisions, and I was stopping my arms a lot, and I was making a lot of mistakes. So going into this match, I knew that it's going to be very fast game, very aggressive. I was just trying to stay as low as possible, and I was just trying to, you know, put that speed, that pressure back on her and see how she can handle it.”
Sabalenka’s coach, Anton Dubrov, echoed the importance of adaptability in her game. In a post-final interview under Arthur Ashe Stadium, Dubrov praised his player’s growth: “Sabalenka’s growth from a combustible, one-dimensional player into a well-rounded, reliable champion has been one of the most remarkable transformations in 21st-century tennis.”
For Anisimova, the loss was a tough one to stomach. “I think I didn’t fight hard enough for my dreams today,” she said, burying her face in a towel after the match. Still, she offered high praise for her opponent: “I truly really admire her. She puts in a lot of work, and that’s why she’s where she is.”
The match’s indoor setting may have played a role in the outcome. Anisimova admitted struggling with the artificial lights, which affected her serve tosses. “There was no way of adjusting, because I could not see the ball when I was serving, and that was a huge shock to my system,” she explained. “Because I knew if I can’t hold my serve, it was going to be very tough to stay in the match.”
Sabalenka’s ability to win tiebreakers has become the stuff of legend. She is now 21-1 in tiebreaks this year, having won her past 19 before this match—a streak that underscores her mental strength in high-pressure moments. Had she lost, she would have become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2006 to lose three major finals in a single season. Instead, she knelt on the court, face in her hands, savoring the magnitude of her achievement.
With this win, Sabalenka not only defends her U.S. Open crown but also silences any lingering doubts about her ability to deliver on the sport’s biggest stages. As she told Anisimova at the net, “I know how much it hurts losing in the finals, but trust me ... you’re going to win (one). ... Girl, you’re going to enjoy it even more after these tough losses in the finals.”
For now, Aryna Sabalenka stands alone atop the tennis world—champion at Flushing Meadows once again, her resilience and evolution on full display before an adoring New York crowd.
