‘I trust my game’ – nerveless Sabalenka continues title defence

US Open 2025

Dates: August 24 through September 7 in Flushing Meadows, New York

Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, says Leylah Fernandez’s impressive tie-break record, which she beat against Canada, is down to “trust” in her game.

In Friday’s night session at Flushing Meadows, top seed Sabalenka defeated 2021 runner-up Fernandez 7-6 (7-2).

Sabalenka’s 18th consecutive winning tie-break, using the deciding first-to-seven method, claimed the second set.

The 27-year-old Belarusian is pursuing her goal of becoming the first woman to win consecutive New York titles since Serena Williams in 2014.

When I reach the tie-break, Sabalenka said, “I am aware that there are no doubts and I just need to go for my shots.”

I’m just being honest with myself about how important my game is. I feel pretty good about myself.

When the crowd on Louis Armstrong Stadium saw a wedding proposal on the big screen, Sabalenka’s focus did not wane.

It was a very sweet moment, but I made an effort to not start grinning because it was so adorable. The three-time major champion said, “I was just trying to keep focusing on my game.”

She remarked, “I don’t want this kind of proposal,” while smiling. But I observed my boyfriend. No compulsion.

Next, Sabalenka travels to Cristina Bucsa, a surprise arrival from Spain.

In a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Belgian 19th seed Elise Mertens, Bucsa, 28, defeated her for the first time in the fourth round of a major.

Top-10 seeds Emma Navarro and Jasmine Paolini saw their championship bids thwarted by two Czech ex-champions.

In the third round of the US Open, American Jessica Pegula battled it out to defeat Canadian Victoria Azarenka to maintain her hopes of winning her first career Grand Slam on her home turf.

After winning the first set 6-1 7-5, 2024 finalist Pegula fought back bravely despite suffering from a leg injury.

Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini was outclassed by world number 60 Marketa Vondrousova while she lost to her 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 defeat.

Paolini lost to him last year in the French Open and Wimbledon finals, but this year he hasn’t advanced past the fourth round.

In the fourth round, Pegula will face either Australia’s No. 126 Priscilla Hon or her compatriot Ann Li after suffering a heartbreaking defeat by Aryna Sabalenka in the previous year’s New York final.

When asked how she had stabilized her second-set slide, the 31-year-old said, “I just tried to focus on going back to my strategy, things that went well in the first set.

I wanted to make the match physical because I thought I moved and scrambled really well.

In the opening set, Azarenka committed four double faults and won only 36% of her first serves, the fourth seed had three aces and ten winners.

The 36-year-old, two-time Grand Slam champion broke serve before saving a break point to establish her lead in the second set, which made her appear older than she was.

However, mistakes made three consecutive breaks into both players’ games.

Before Pegula made two glaring forehand misses after double-faulting to give control back to Belarusian, Azarenka saved three break points before making the fourth.

One more pendulum struck in Pegula’s favor as she broke in the final game to claim a spot in the last 16.

She obviously increased her level in the second set, and I just assumed she would start serving really well, and she’s always a great returner, Pegula said of Azarenka.