"I was little bit crying this morning," Aryna Sabalenka confessed on how, ahead of her US Open final match against the USA's Amanda Anisimova, she became emotional seeing the support pouring in from her home country. But the emotional vulnerability did little to hold her back as she stepped onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Belarus's Sabalenka has made Flushing Meadows her personal playground. Not once, but twice now. At the 2025 US Open, the world No. 1 didn’t just win; she rewrote history in several unforgettable ways.

First Woman since Serena Williams (2012–2014) to defend the US Open title

With a composed 6–3, 7–6(3) victory over Anisimova, Aryna Sabalenka became the first woman in 11 years to successfully defend her U.S. Open title since Serena Williams’ three-peat from 2012 to 2014

It’s an elite club she’s joined; not just a repeat but a rare mastery shown at Queens.

100th Grand Slam match win for Aryna Sabalenka

This is what you call a perfect way to reach a seminal career milestone. In triumphant fashion, the championship point wasn’t just more silverware for Sabalenka; instead, it was her 100th match win at Grand Slam tournaments. That milestone marks yet another testament to her consistency at the sport’s highest level.

Most consecutive tiebreak wins by any woman in the Open era

Aryna Sabalenka’s nerve of steel showed in tight moments. She extended her winning streak to 20 consecutive tiebreaks at this US Open final. Before the final triumph, she had won 19 straight tiebreaks, and this match against Anisimova just added one more to the streak that began back in February 2025.

Single-season tiebreak wins record at WTA level

Her late-season run hadn’t just been steadiness. It was record-setting. Sabalenka broke the Open Era record for most tiebreak wins in a single WTA season during the Cincinnati event and pushed even further by the time the US Open rolled around.

Aryna Sabalenka entered the US Open with 11 out of 13 tiebreak wins. And now, she has won 19 out of 20 overall tiebreaks. Her tiebreak dominance has been a defining feature of her season.

Third player in the Open Era to win her first four Grand Slams all on hard courts

Sabalenka’s first four major singles titles (Australian Open 2023, Australian Open 2024, US Open 2024, and now US Open 2025) all came on hard-court surfaces, making her the third in the Open Era after Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters to capture her opening four Grand Slam titles exclusively on hard courts. It’s a testament to Aryna's raw power and consistency on her preferred stage.

More highlights from Aryna Sabalenka's 2025 US Open campaign

Dropped only one set throughout the entire tournament (in the semifinal versus Pegula) before closing out the final in straight sets

Sabalenka required only 94 minutes to dispatch Anisimova in the final. Swift, efficient, and dominant

Committed just 15 unforced errors in the final (compared to Anisimova’s 29 in the final), reflecting both her precision and mental control on big points

With this win, Sabalenka now has four Grand Slam singles titles: two Australian Opens (2023, 2024) and two US Opens (2024, 2025)

Sabalenka’s 2025 slam season in context

The US Open wasn’t Sabalenka’s only major final. Earlier this year, she fell short in two finals: the Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and the French Open (to Coco Gauff). This made her Paris disappointment even harder. But in New York, she channeled all that heartbreak into redemption, closing her season’s major campaign on a triumphant high.

Writing her law in Queens

Distance: A physical and emotional turnaround. From those earlier crushing losses to sheer dominance on tennis’s biggest hard-court stage, Aryna Sabalenka has indeed come a long, long way.

Records: Almost a simulation. Sabalenka didn’t just compete; she defined standards: the benchmark for title defense, winning streaks, and surface-specific dominance.

Legacy: By defending her title, bagging her 100th Slam win, smashing tiebreak records, and claiming her first four Slams all on hard courts, she’s etched her name alongside the greatest of her era.

In short, Aryna Sabalenka’s 2025 US Open didn’t just add another trophy to her cabinet. It reshaped the narrative of modern women’s tennis, in Queens and beyond.

And yet, despite her thunderous performance at the Ashe, Sabalenka remained as poised as ever. Being a player who generates results at the top level of the sport, she also knows that the high demand can take a toll on the athletes. Maybe that's why, even amidst her own jubilation, Aryna had to take a moment to console her American foe.

"First of all, I wanna say, congrats, Amanda, on reaching back-to-back finals from the Slams. I know how much it hurts losing in the finals. But trust me, the moment you’re gonna win your first one, and you’re going to win. You play incredible tennis... And, girl, you’re gonna enjoy it even more after these tough losses in the finals," Sabalenka nodded her hat at Amanda during the former's title win ceremony.

Now that's how you show your sportsman spirit!

Written by

Diptarko Paul

Edited by

Shrabana Sengupta