Tennis player Sabalenka clinches her second straight U.S. Open championship by overcoming Anisimova in the final match.

Aryna Sabalenka Claims Back-to-Back U.S. Open Titles

In a thrilling final on Ashe, under the retractable roof and artificial lights due to rain, Aryna Sabalenka secured her second consecutive U.S. Open title. The Belarusian tennis star defeated Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Sabalenka's road to the final was not without challenges. She had earlier been eliminated by Anisimova at Wimbledon in July. However, the tables turned in the U.S. Open final, with Sabalenka avenging her defeat and clinching the victory.

The match began with Anisimova leading 3-2 in the first set. But Sabalenka took control, winning the next four games to take the set. In the second set, Sabalenka led twice by a break and served for the win at 5-4. Anisimova, however, fought back, forcing a tiebreaker. Sabalenka's experience and resilience shone through as she claimed the tiebreaker and the match on her third match point.

Anisimova, who was in her first major final, had nearly twice as many winners as Sabalenka (22-13) but also had nearly twice as many unforced errors (29-15). Sabalenka's consistency and precision proved to be the deciding factors in the match.

During the ball tosses for serves, Anisimova motioned to her team due to apparent distractions caused by the closed roof. Despite this, she came back from a 0-2, 0-30 deficit to break Sabalenka's serve.

Sabalenka's victory marks her fourth Grand Slam title of her career, all on hard courts. She becomes the first woman to win the U.S. Open in consecutive years since Serena Williams more than a decade ago.

Prior to the U.S. Open final, Sabalenka was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open. These losses seemed to fuel her determination to claim the U.S. Open title.

During the trophy ceremony, Anisimova expressed admiration for Sabalenka, acknowledging her impressive achievements. Sabalenka picked up her trophy with a smile, improving her tiebreaker record to 21-1 in 2022.

In a touching moment, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the court and smiled a rueful smile after an excruciating miss that gave Anisimova a break chance. But she quickly regrouped and went on to win the match.

Anisimova, who went on to win a rematch against Iga Swiatek in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, put her loss to Sabalenka behind her and showed great sportsmanship throughout the tournament.

The weather conditions created windless conditions, which benefited both players' powerful groundstrokes. Sabalenka, known for her strong and aggressive style, was able to capitalise on these conditions to secure her victory.

With this win, Sabalenka solidifies her position as one of the top players in women's tennis and looks forward to defending her U.S. Open title next year.

Tennis player Sabalenka clinches her second straight U.S. Open championship by overcoming Anisimova in the final match.