Aryna Sabalenka wins 2024 United States Open

Aryna Sabalenka (Hameltion, Wikimedia Commons)

Aryna Sabalenka of Minsk, Belarus, the world number two, has won her third career grand slam title. After winning the 2023 Australian Open and 2024 Australian Open, Sabalenka reached her fourth grand slam final on Saturday, and defeated the world number six Jessica Pegula of the United States, 7-5, 7-5.

Sabalenka was the slightly better server, as she had six aces, compared to four for Pegula. Sabalenka beat Pegula in a Cincinnati Open rematch. There she beat Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the final. Interestingly, Sabalenka and Pegula were the winners of the two Masters Series events on hard court leading up to the 2024 United States Women’s Open. At the 2024 National Bank Open in Toronto, Ontario, Pegula beat fellow American and 2019 French Open semifinalist Amanda Anisimova in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. 

This was the eighth time that a player won the Cincinnati Open and United States Open in the same calendar year. The other seven players to accomplish the feat were Myrtle McAteer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1900), Molla Bjurstedt of Mosvik, Norway (1915), Alice Marble of Beckwourth, California (1940), Pauline Betz of Dayton, Ohio (1943), Kim Clijsters of Bilzen, Belgium (2010), Serena Williams of Saginaw, Michigan (2014), and Coco Gauff of Atlanta, Georgia (2023).

This was the third time in the history of the US Open, that the National Bank Open champion (Canadian Open) faced the Cincinnati Open champion in the women’s singles final. In 1970, Margaret Court of Perth, Australia beat American Rosemary Calas in the US Open final 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. Court beat Calas 6-8, 6-4, 6-4 in the 1970 Rothmans Canadian Open final in Toronto. Calas beat American Nancy Richey Gunter 6-3, 6-3 in the 1970 Cincinnati Open final. Then in 2013, Williams beat Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 in the US Open final. Williams beat Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-2, 6-0 in the 2013 final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Azarenka beat Williams 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the 2013 final of Cincinnati.