After winning their first title in almost seven months, Aryna Sabalenka goes into the upcoming US Open with exuberant confidence.
The 26-year-old made a sensational return to the winner’s circle at a WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati earlier this week, winning the singles title without dropping a set.
Sabalenka rounded off her perfect run with a 6-3, 7-5 win over American Jessica Pegula in the final.
“It was a really great day at the office,” said a proud Sabalenka Tennis Channel after securing the win in 75 minutes. “This is really important for the US Open, so I’m just super happy with the result.”
This ended world number six Pegula’s nine-match winning streak and Sabalenka won her first title since defending her Australian Open title in January.
“I would say I’m playing really great tennis,” admitted Sabalenka, who regained second place in the world rankings with her dominant performance at the American hard court event.
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“It’s probably not the best tennis I can play, but I’m definitely on my way there. And with every match I play, I feel better, better and better.
“Hopefully I can continue to improve my level at the US Open and maybe even reach a higher level than before.”
That’s a scary prediction for the rest of the US Open field, especially considering that Sabalenka has won 16 of her last 19 matches at Flushing Meadows and 20 of her last 21 matches at major hard court tournaments.
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After two consecutive semifinal appearances at the US Open in 2021 and 2022, Sabalenka went even further last year when she lost a close three-set final to American Coco Gauff.
Can Sabalenka finally make it to the end and win her first US Open title in 2024?
Defending champion Gauff returns to New York with just one win in her last four matches, adding even more pressure to the world number three.
Sabalenka, on the other hand, has invaluable momentum on her side after three top-20 wins in Cincinnati, including an impressive semifinal victory over world number one Iga Swiatek.
