Aryna Sabalenka (ranked 2nd, from Belarus) has made 2024 her year by winning both the Australian Open and the US Open, two of tennis’s major tournaments.
On Sunday, in the US Open tennis tournament held in New York, Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula (ranked 6th from the USA) 2-0 (7-5, 7-5) in the women’s singles final. With these victories, Sabalenka has become the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win two consecutive hardcourt major tournaments.
Born in 1998, Sabalenka is known for her aggressive style. She is 182 cm tall and has a powerful serve. During the tournament, she recorded 36 aces, finishing second in that category, and ranked third with a top serve speed of 192 km/h.
The tiger tattoo on her left arm, symbolizing her aggressive play, has become a distinctive part of her identity. Notably, her coach, Jason Stacy, has the same tiger tattoo drawn on his head, and Sabalenka joyfully stroked her coach’s head in celebration.
In a post-match interview, Sabalenka expressed her gratitude towards her family, stating, “My family helped me not to give up on my dreams.” Since her father’s passing, she has been striving to etch her family’s name into tennis history.
Her father, Sergey, tragically passed away at the young age of 43 from meningitis in 2019, and her boyfriend, ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, took his own life earlier this spring, deeply shocking her. Despite these personal hardships, Sabalenka’s victory marked a signal of resurgence. She remarked, “When I see my name engraved on the trophy, I feel proud of myself and our family,” acknowledging her family as the support that made her dreams possible.
With this victory, Sabalenka has solidified her position in women’s tennis. World number one Iga Swiatek (Poland) currently excels on clay courts, while Sabalenka dominates hard courts.
Over the past two years, Sabalenka has a remarkable record of 27 wins and 1 loss at the hardcourt majors, the Australian Open, and the US Open, securing three titles and one runner-up position, raising expectations for her future performances.
In this year’s major tournaments, Sabalenka played a total of 40 sets, winning 37 of them, achieving a set win rate of 92.5%. This marks the highest set win rate in a major tournament since Justine Henin (from Belgium) recorded 92.9% in 2007.
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