It was raining torrentially outside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday, but under the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, lightning didn’t strike twice.
With a breathtaking display of tennis and persistence, Aryna Sabalenka won her third major and first U.S. Open, beating Jessica Pegula in an electrifying final, 7–5, 7–5. Apart from the triumph today, this will go a long way toward exorcising the demons of last year, when Sabalenka also played an American in Coco Gauff and won the first set before faltering.
