Aryna Sabalenka over Jessica Pegula
Way back when Serena Williams won the 1999 US Open, she and Venus took off, all of them. But now, the American Jessica Pegula finally made it into the final, beating Karolina Muchova in the semis. She was on fire, finally.
Yet Aryna Sabalenka is also on a role, and in the semis, she took off in the tight second set, and she beat Emma Navarro.
Now, both of them want to win on an amazing day.
Pegula has had a terrific five weeks, winning Toronto, reaching the final in Cincinnati, and racing at the US Open. She is much better from side to side. She can smash her forehand, backhand, crosscourt, and down the line. She is patient, and she can mix it up, too.
The Belarussian Sabalenka can also run down and then nail it very deep. She is one of the biggest hitters out there, and at the 2023 and 2024 Australian, she won it, and now she wasn’t nervous at all. She has matured a lot and can try to be more patient. A few years ago, she would get frustrated, and then she would be ticked off. Yet, not anymore, so she wants to attack early and often.
The American Pegula is also pretty smart on the court. However, Sabalenka beat her 6-3, 7-5 in Cincinnati when she outhit her. She has a 5-2 head-to-head against Pegula but could change her direction. It should be close, both of them.
“We had a lot of great battles in the past, really difficult, tight matches,” Sabalenka said. “[Pegula’s] playing incredible tennis. Feels like she’s back on track. Cannot wait to play against her.”
Yes, she will, but what about the 30-year-old Pegula, who took her a long time to play more consistently, week after week? She can certainly go for it when the fans cheer her and hope she can rise so high.
“So to be able to overcome all those challenges and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday is what we play for as players, let alone being able to do that in my home country here, in my home Slam. It’s perfect, really,” Pegula said.
However, Sabalenka also likes to pump it up after she hits a startling winner. In the third set, she will pound her feet and dominate her with her forehand on the lines. Sabalenka will take it 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.