Sabalenka Gains Several Records as She Defends Her US Open Championship
The 2025 US Open Women’s Tennis Championship finally drew to a close today in Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, with the last two facing off against each other in the final after 128 players fell. Belarusian World Number One Aryna Sabalenka squared off against American and crowd-hopeful Amanda Anisimova. The two have clashed before, a total of 10 times, today included. Anisimova leads the head-to-head six wins to three, last defeating the Belarusian in the Wimbledon Semifinals earlier this year, and she notably went on to fall to the World Number Two player, Iga Swiatek of Poland. Sabalenka had many accolades to gain from today, other than her head-to-head win; her 100th career win, being the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to defend her US Open championship by winning it consecutively, and, of course, winning the 2025 US Open itself. Sabalenka was successful in all and added a tick to her and Anisimova’s head-to-head mark by defeating her in a thrilling match, 6-3, 7-6, 3. She stood a lot to lose, especially against someone who seemed to have the edge up on her, but here’s how she did it.
Game Styles and Shortcomings
Both women are known to be massive ball-strikers and baseline players with excellent movement that allows them to find any refuge from their winners. Consistency isn’t usually their highest statistic for groundstrokes, but their winners are blinding and frequent. Even though it was such a grand stage, the US Open Final— her first. The American came out swinging immediately and held nothing back. It was actually Sabalenka who was on the back foot and on the defensive, an aspect of her game hardly seen, but clearly, she has been working on. Anisimova struck out at almost every ball she could, especially on her forehand, her considerably favored wing, and her backhands were solid as well. Sabalenka showed superb shot selection and variety, far more variety than the American did. She sacrificed her famous speed and power for control and placement, keeping her head cool the entire time she did it. A surprising and helpful addition to her game made an entry as well: slices and dropshots, destructive tools against a hard-hitting baseliner’s game. Tools, no doubt, that have been used against her before.
Though Anisimova started strong in the first set, the variety disrupted her game fairly quickly, and she couldn’t hold out past 3-3. Sabalenka held her own against the rallies down the middle, but the thought of dropshots and slices made her antsy, and Anisimova soon lost either patience or focus. She began going for the big shots off every first ball, abandoning the setup, causing her to spray unforced errors where it was not necessary, and lose the points and the first too quickly. The second set went by a bit better. Anisimova reset and found a better rhythm and returned to the basics, perfecting her footwork and hitting a few balls first before going for the kill. She never killed the power, though; her unforced and forced errors continued to be an issue; 29 unforced errors to her 22 winners. Along with the fact that she was playing a baseline game against Sabalenka, who was playing baseline and a half, at least, and of course, remained unmovingly solid with her own baseline game.
The weapons that differed the most between the two players that Sabalenka wielded expertly were emotions and service. The World Number One is famously known for her explosiveness on court, both on her racquet and emotionally. Today, she was fully composed and focused, giving her a chance to properly concentrate, adjust, and execute her game to its entirety. She celebrated, but never lingered on the anger or frustration of lost points. Anisimova, on the other hand, was visibly frustrated throughout, not that she had no reason to be, but it likely leaked into her already slightly shaky game. She commendably steeled herself to come back from 5-3 down in the second set to make it a tiebreak, but the fact is, her emotions were still on her sleeve more than her opponent’s.
Service, the start of every point, was not on Anisimova’s side today, though when it worked, it showed hints of a world of what could have been. She had seven double faults compared to four aces. In one game alone, she double-faulted three times. Her first serve accuracy and points won percentage were the same at 58%, and it was a very low 38% of her second serve points that she won. Those were all very needed points and stats for her, considering she only managed to break Sabalenka four times in the match. Sabalenka, on the other hand, only had one ace and two double faults, but her service consistency stats were high, considering how hard the balls were being hit. She got 65% of her first serves in and won 60% of those points; all the more showing the importance of having a reliable serve to guarantee you points. Her other stats show just how tamped back she was in this match and committed to mindfulness and consistency; 13 winners and 15 unforced errors.
Sabalenka played and won the match like a World Number One should, and deservedly worked for her win. The tiebreak she won to end the second set made it her 19th consecutive won tiebreak, and the most won by a woman in the Open Era; yet another record for her to smile at as she lifts the 2025 US Open Tennis Championship trophy. This Grand Slam win now brings her total to four.
