Sabalenka Defends US Open Title, First Back-to-Back Since Serena

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) on Saturday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium to successfully defend her U.S. Open title, becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to win back-to-back championships at Flushing Meadows. The world number one clinched her fourth Grand Slam, held off a spirited local challenge and collected a record $5 million winner’s prize.

Sabalenka, 27, steadied herself after two earlier Grand Slam final defeats this season and a Wimbledon semifinal loss to Anisimova in July. She recovered from a mis-hit overhead that gifted Anisimova a break late in the second set and then dominated the tiebreak to close out the match on her third championship point. Afterward she sank to her knees, visibly emotional, and praised her team and the New York crowd, saying the victory validated lessons learned from earlier losses this year.

The match was largely a battle of power. Sabalenka relied on a heavy serve and aggressive baseline game, converting a high percentage of first-serve points, while Anisimova repeatedly stepped in to take the ball early. Anisimova, 24, produced several spectacular winners and rallied from a break down in the first set to...