Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka plays a forehand return to USA’s Amanda Anisimova during their women’s singles final tennis match on day fourteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 6, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
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In her first two Grand Slam singles finals of 2025, Aryna Sabalenka lost in devastating fashion to American women.
But in her third Slam final against an American opponent this year, the world No. 1 won the title.
And she did it on American soil.
In a battle of two of the biggest hitters in the women’s game, Sabalenka topped No. 8 Amanda Anisimova, 6-3, 7-6 in a jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, to defend her US Open title and win the fourth major crown of her career.
The match was played under the closed roof in Ashe due to heavy rains in New York ahead of the final.
Sabalenka is the first woman to defend her US Open title since Serena Williams went back-to-back in 2013-14. A year ago, she defeated another American woman, Jessica Pegula, in the final.
In the tiebreak, Sabalenka raced out to a 6-1 lead, going for it from the baseline and taking advantage of some Anisimova errors.
Sabalenka improved to 4-3 in major finals, with all four wins coming on hardcourts, and won her 100th career match at a major.
She will take home $5 for winning the title, while Anisimova earned $2.5 million.
Sabalenka lost the Australian Open final to Madison Keys and the Roland Garros final to Coco Gauff – both in three sets.
USA’s Amanda Anisimova plays a shot to Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka during the women’s singles final tennis match on day fourteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 6, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
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At Wimbledon, she lost to Anisimova in the semifinals before Anisimova was dominated by Iga Swiatek, 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
Still, Anisimova rebounded to make another impressive run to a Grand Slam final, taking down world No. 2 Swiatek in straight sets in the quarterfinals and four-time major champion Naomi Osaka in three tough sets in the semis.
Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka (L) and USA’s Amanda Anisimova pose ahead of their women’s singles final tennis match on day fourteen of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, on September 6, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP) (Photo by TIMOTHY A.CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
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In the first set, the players exchanged a series of breaks before Sabalenka broke again for 5-3 when the American hit a backhand wide. Sabalenka closed it out on her serve when the big-hitting Anisimova also misfired on her forehand.
Anisimova made 15 unforced errors in the first set against 13 winners.
Toward the end of the first set and beginning of the second, Anisimova appeared distracted by the lights and the roof, which were closed due to heavy rain in New York.
Sabalenka broke for 2-1 with a backhand winner.
Anisimova crushed a backhand winner that Sabalenka couldn’t get close to to break for 3-all in the second.
But Sabalenka broke back immediately for 4-3.
Serving for the match at 5-4, 30-all in the second set, Sabelenka blew a forehand overhead, hitting it into the net, and was then broken for 5-all.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2025/09/06/world-no-1-aryna-sabalenka-matches-serena-williams-feat-at-us-open/
