US Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka is in her second consecutive US Open final, while Jessica Pegula is a first timer
The final Grand Slam major of the year, the US Open 2024 will draw to a close this weekend. The women’s singles final is scheduled to be held on Saturday, September 7 at 4 pm (EDT) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Viewers in India will have a sleepless night to catch this match, what with time zone difference meaning that it will begin at 1.30 am on September 8. Sony Sports and SonyLIV are the official broadcast and streaming partners for the tournament.
This is Aryna Sabalenka’s second consecutive US Open final. Last year, she’d lost to Coco Gauff, after squandering the one-set lead she had. Prior to last year’s final appearance, the two-time Australian Open champion had never made it past the semi-final stage. Set to play Jessica Pegula, who is in her first-ever Grand Slam major final, Sabalenka will fancy her chances of taking home the trophy, given that she’d defeated the former only weeks ago at the Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head record 5:2.
The World No.2 dropped a set only once along the way to the final. She began her campaign against Priscilla Hon with a 6-3 6-3 victory. This was followed up by wins over Lucia Bronzetti (6-3 6-1), Ekaterina Alexandrova (2-6 6-1 6-2), Elise Mertens (6-2 6-4), Qinwen Zheng (6-1 6-2) and Emma Navarro (6-3 7-6). Should she win the final, Sabalenka will remain World No.2 on the rankings.
World No.6 Pegula had a more exciting journey on the tournament, having sent World No.1 Iga Swiatek home in the quarter-final. Like Sabalenka, she too has dropped a set only once along the way to the final. Her first round match was against Shelby Rogers that she won 6-4 6-3; then Sofia Kenin (7-6 6-3), Jessica Bouzas (6-3 6-3), Diana Shnaider (6-4 6-2), Swiatek (6-2 6-4) and Karolina Muchova (1-6 64 6-2). Pegula’s ranking will improve to No.3 if she wins.
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