Sabalenka defends US Open crown, claims fourth Grand Slam after mastering emotions

Aryna Sabalenka defended her US Open title on Saturday, beating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) at Flushing Meadows to capture her fourth Grand Slam singles trophy. The 27-year-old world number one collapsed to her knees, covering her face and shaking with adrenaline after the final point — an image that underlined how much the victory meant to her.

Sabalenka has been the WTA Tour's most dominant player this season, winning more titles, matches and points than any of her rivals, but she had not lifted a major in 2025 before arriving in New York. "This one felt different. It felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to get it," she said in the winners' news conference, clutching a bottle of champagne. "I knew that [because of] the hard work we put in, I deserved to have a Grand Slam title this season."

The straight-sets scoreline belies a match in which Sabalenka had to steady herself at crucial moments. After failing to close out the second set when serving at 5-4, 30-30 — sending an overhead smash into the net — she suppressed the kind of visible frustration that has marked some of her previous major finals. "In the first set when she broke me back, and at the end of the second set when she broke me back, there were moments where I was really close to losing control," Sabalenka said. "At that moment I told myself: No, it's not going to happen. It's OK."

Her team around her has been central to the turnaround. Long-time coach Anton Dubrov, hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski and fitness coach Jason Stacy have been constants, and Sabalenka brought in 10-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Mirnyi as a second coach for the final major of the season. Mirnyi said the work focused on evolution rather than repair. "She's definitely wasn't broken by any means — she is the top player in the world, won the best tournaments and beaten the best players time and time again," he said. "It's just been a matter of evolving and improving her game and trying to add different facets to it."

Mirnyi described efforts to add nuance to Sabalenka's power, including developing a more versatile serve and finishing more points at the net. Sabalenka acknowledged she has learned to manage the relationships within her team, apologising for being "terrible to them" after losses in Melbourne and Paris and calling the group "family."

Mental preparation has also played a significant role. Sabalenka has worked with a sports psychologist for several years but said she recently realised she had been "relying too much" on that support and sought to take more ownership of her emotional control. A post-Wimbledon holiday to Mykonos and a book recommended by friends about harnessing the balance between mind and heart helped her refocus. "Reading that book I realised a lot of things," she said. "It really helped me to stay focused and to focus on the right things on important points."

The title in New York continues a pattern of deep runs at majors for Sabalenka: she has reached 12 semifinals in her past 13 Grand Slam appearances. That consistency had yielded three trophies prior to this event, a tally Sabalenka and her team viewed as below the level of performance she has shown across seasons. The win confirms that consistency with an added layer of mental resilience.

Sabalenka's path to the 2025 US Open crown also included lessons from recent defeats. She lost the Australian Open and French Open finals to Madison Keys and Coco Gauff, respectively, and was beaten by Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals. Overcoming those setbacks in front of the New York crowd was part of the narrative of this title.

Her successful defence makes Sabalenka the first woman to retain the US Open singles title since Serena Williams in 2014. The victory leaves her with four Grand Slam singles trophies overall: two Australian Open titles and two US Open titles.

Mirnyi cautioned against expecting perfection, noting the human element in elite sport. "We're not machines, we're not robots, right? As good as some of the professionals are in their fields, they're still human," he said. "It comes down to being good, but not always perfect. A tennis match is very tough to make perfect."

Sabalenka echoed that sentiment in New York, saying the ability to control her emotions and execute under pressure was as important as any tactical tweak. "To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot," she said. "I'm super proud right now of myself."

The US Open, contested at Flushing Meadows from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7, drew attention not only for Sabalenka's title defence but for how the result underlined the link between physical preparation and psychological steadiness at the top level of the women's game. Sabalenka leaves New York with a fourth major, evidence of both season-long dominance and an increased capacity to manage the pressures of the game's biggest moments.