Key Takeaways
- Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 to advance to the US Open final.
- Aryna Sabalenka stated, “Yeah, I was super desperate,” explaining how past losses pushed her to perform at her best.
- Looking forward to the title match, Aryna Sabalenka declared, “I’m ready for whatever it’s going to take to get the win.”
Commanding display sends Aryna Sabalenka into the final
Aryna Sabalenka delivered a dominant performance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, defeating Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in the semifinals of the US Open. The victory secured her spot in another title match in New York, coming on the heels of a determined campaign to cap the Grand Slam season at her peak level.
Speaking to the press following the match, Sabalenka expressed her satisfaction with her execution after facing challenging encounters against Pegula earlier in the year. “Yeah, I’m super happy that I was able to play on such high level, especially against Jess in the last matches we played,” Sabalenka said. “She been able to push me so far and it was really tough to get win against her and to get this win in straight sets today. Really impressed me to be honest. I’m super happy.”
Mindset and tactical clarity against Pegula
Sabalenka had previously suffered a difficult loss against the American on grass, a memory that fueled her preparation and urgency heading into Thursday night. “Yeah, I was super desperate,” Sabalenka admitted when detailing her psychological approach. “I lost tough match on grass against Jess and and I wasn’t really performing well in the middle part of the season. So it’s kind of like feels for me talking about Grand Slams like the last push of the season. So I wanted it badly to go to the finals and of course I want to go all the way. So the mentality was just I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever it’s going to take to get the win.”
Pegula remarked after their clash that Sabalenka’s play was exceptionally high, a sentiment the finalist largely shared regarding her on-court decisions. “I think today I kind of like I really performed well and I felt like whatever decision I would make it, it is the right decision,” she explained. “So, I would definitely say that against Jess probably today compared to the last matches we played, it was definitely the better level for me.”
Assessing why the conditions in Flushing Meadows suited her game against Pegula, Sabalenka pointed to the court pace: “I think definitely the surface helps. It’s quite like fast courts but also bouncy a little bit. It was really tough to play against Jess on grass. So, and here I feel like on hardcourt I have a bit more advantage just because of the speed of the courts and the bounce. I think that really gives me more possibilities of like pushing her a bit back.”
Handling noise and looking ahead to the final
Sabalenka also touched on her ability to stay centered amidst distractions and high expectations, reiterating that her preparation will remain unchanged ahead of the championship match. “No, I keep the same routine and as I said, last couple months really teach me how to shut down the noise from outside,” she noted. “And I think that’s was the meaning behind all of those tough lessons to finally learn how to stay focused on myself and forget about the outside noise. It sounds simple, but it’s not really simple to do sometimes.”
Sabalenka drew extra motivation from the atmosphere in New York as she chases another crown. “I have to say that I just love New York and I love being here and I love the energy of the city and I think that’s what drives me,” she said. Turning her focus to her potential final opponents, whether facing Elena Rybakina or Coco Gauff, she made her resolve clear: “It’s going to be physically and mentally tough match, but as I said, I’m ready. I’m ready for the fight. I’m ready to do everything to get the win.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwlmpR9cKR4
WTA U.S. Open - Aryna Sabalenka's projected path
Sabalenka at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2026
Currently the world no.1, the Belarussian has a 47-8 match record in 2026. The Belarussian is currently playing at the U.S. Open where she conquered the world no.59 Maria Camila Osorio Serrano 6-2 6-4, the world no.160 Polina Iatcenko 6-1 6-1, the world no.92 Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 6-4, the world no.96 Taylor Townsend 6-4 6-3, the world no.6 Linda Noskova 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6 and the world no.3 Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2.
Aryna Sabalenka will square off with the world no.2 Elena Rybakina in the final. Their actual head to head record is 10-7 for Sabalenka.
Sabalenka has won 3 titles in 2026 in Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami.
Sabalenka won 24 titles in her career: 19 on hard courts, 3 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
Jessica Pegula in 2026
At the moment ranked no.3 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 10th of September when she lost to world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 6-2 in the semifinal of the U.S. Open (draw).
This season the American achieved an overall 50-14 record. The American has won 2 titles in 2026 in Dubai and Charleston.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula faced off 14 times. Their current head to head is 10-4 for Sabalenka.
