Power was the order of the day at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Aryna Sabalenka leaned into her heaviest groundstrokes to dismantle Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 and book her place in the U.S. Open final.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion in New York, had gone without a major this year after falling short at the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. She arrived at this semifinal with something to prove, and for the first 10 games of the opening set, Pegula made her prove it.
The two traded on even terms through the early stages. Sabalenka's frustration was visible. Whenever she missed a shot, she reacted emotionally, angry at herself, her body language betraying the pressure she was carrying. Pegula, by contrast, kept a steady expression throughout the set, and it looked like her composure might carry the day.
But Sabalenka found a way through. Serving at 6-5, she held her nerve, then used her power and sharp directional returns to break Pegula in the final game of the set. That break was the turning point. Pegula's shot making dipped in the second set, and Sabalenka was quick to punish the errors.
The match turned on Sabalenka's angled shots. Once she started to find success hitting balls out of Pegula's range, the contest shifted decisively in her favor. Pegula, one of the top players in the world, is still searching for her first major championship. Against a player of Sabalenka's current form, that search continues.
Sabalenka will attempt to win her third consecutive U.S. Open title on Saturday. She faces the winner of the semifinal between Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina, a match that carries its own subplots. Gauff, who has been thinking about Frances Tiafoe during her run, according to related reporting, will be looking to reach another final on home soil. Rybakina, meanwhile, brings her own power game to the equation.
The defending champion's path to this point has not been straightforward. After winning back-to-back titles in New York, she entered the season with expectations of adding to her collection. The Australian Open came and went without her name on the trophy. So did the French Open and Wimbledon. Each exit added a layer of scrutiny to her game, and her semifinal performance against Pegula was, in some ways, a response to that scrutiny.
Sabalenka's early frustration was a window into her mindset. The emotional reactions, the anger directed at herself after missed shots, suggested a player who was not content to simply be in the semifinal. She wanted more. Pegula's unflappable demeanor made for a fascinating contrast. One player wore every mistake on her face; the other gave nothing away.
In the end, it was Sabalenka's power that decided the match. Her ability to hit angled winners from positions where most players would simply keep the ball in play proved too much for Pegula to handle. The second set was a demonstration of that superiority. Pegula's errors mounted, Sabalenka's confidence grew, and the scoreline reflected the gap.
The final on Saturday will be Sabalenka's third consecutive at the U.S. Open. She has won the previous two, and a third would put her in rare company in the modern era. Her opponent, whether Gauff or Rybakina, will present a different challenge. Gauff has the crowd and the momentum; Rybakina has the serve and the power. Either way, Sabalenka will enter as the defending champion with a title defense on her mind.
For Pegula, the loss is another near miss at a major. She remains one of the most consistent players on tour, but the breakthrough has not come. Against Sabalenka, she was competitive for a set, but the power differential was too great to overcome once the defending champion found her range.
The match at Arthur Ashe Stadium was a reminder of what Sabalenka does best. She hits the ball harder than almost anyone, and when she is landing her angles, there is little her opponents can do. Pegula found that out the hard way. The first set was close. The second was not.
Sabalenka now faces Saturday's final against the winner of the Gauff-Rybakina semifinal. The angled shots that undid Pegula in the second set will need to be there again. The frustration that marked her early play gave way to confidence as the match wore on, and by the end, Pegula had no answers for the power coming from the other side of the net.
According to Yahoo Sports.