NEW YORK — Moments after winning her third Grand Slam singles title, and first at the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka fell to the ground with her hands covering her face.
She had just defeated American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in front of a partisan and star-studded crowd Saturday under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was a markedly different scene from a year ago, when Sabalenka squandered a one-set lead over Coco Gauff, another American, in the US Open final and walked away with the runner-up trophy.
And even the two years before that, when she lost in the semifinal round in 2021 and 2022. The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, couldn't help but acknowledge her past when addressing the crowd during the trophy ceremony. «Oh, my God.