Aryna Sabalenka came by Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in a rollicking US Open women’s final Saturday to win her first championship at Flushing Meadows and the third Grand Slam title of her career.
Sabalenka, a 26-year-old from Belarus, adds this trophy to the two she earned at the Australian Open in each of the past two seasons, also on hard courts. And the victory allowed her to leave Arthur Ashe Stadium in a much better mood than when she was runner-up to Coco Gauff at the 2023 US Open.
/ Getty Images
Sabalenka will earn a $3.6 million check each — a 20% increase from the $3 million winners earned in 2023. All four semifinalists in both singles draws will receive $1 million apiece. This year marks 50 years since male and female players earned equal prize money at the tournament.
Pegula, a native New Yorker whose parents own the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, was in a major final for the first time. She has won 15 of her last 17 matches in the past month but both losses came against Sabalenka in the tournament finals. Pegula will get $1.8 million this year as runner-up, according to official figures from Queens, New York, the tournament.
contributed to this report.