In a moment, as Aryna Sabalenka dropped to the baseline and collapsed into tears, all the painful defeats in grand slam finals were suddenly worth it. From the losses to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at the French Open this season, as well as her semi-final defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon, Sabalenka emerged with valuable lessons, and then used them to her advantage in defending her US Open title.
She vanquished her demons and earned redemption to defeat Anisimova 6-4 7-6 (7-4), becoming the first player to retain her US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014. A fourth grand slam title of her career illustrates how her powerful game has come together with her improved touch, movement and, above all, mentality. A first grand slam title of her season is the reward for growing through adversity, and for tackling what had been holding her back: herself.
