By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, August 19, 2024
Riding a superb serve, Aryna Sabalenka snapped Jessica Pegula's nine-match winning streak with a 6-3, 7-5 win for her first Cincinnati championship.
Photo credit: Robert Prange/Getty
Love hurts.
It’s particularly painful when Aryna Sabalenka is serving with passion and precision.
More: 2024 US Open New Policies
Sabalenka slammed down six love holds stopping Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5 to roar to her first Cincinnati Open championship.
Sabalenka swept the Queen City with command—she did not surrender a set in five tournament victories—and solidified her status as the favorite for a maiden US Open title in Queens next month.
It is Sabalenka’s 15th career championship—her first since she successfully defended the Australian Open last January—including her sixth WTA 1000 crown. Only two women—world No. 1 Swiatek and former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka—have won more WTA 1000 titles with 10 apiece.
“I couldn’t wish for more–it was a really great day at the office,” Sabalenka told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “It was really great support from the crowd, a really great atmosphere, and I’m just super happy with the level I played in the final.
“I was able to get this title. It’s really important going into the US Open so just super happy with the result here in Cincinnati.”
Throughout her charge to this Cincinnati title, Sabalenka showed the skills to play first-strike tennis—and disarm elite opponents. This final win comes the day after Sabalenka demolished world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals.
“Definitely the semifinal match was really something incredible and something I was working really hard,” Sabalenka said. “In the finals, I think I played also incredible tennis. It’s tough to compare these two matches because they are two different players. This surfaces seems to be like the perfect surface for Jessica, she pushed me a lot in this match.
“I was always under pressure and really really happy I was able to handle that pressure and finish this match in straight sets.”
Facing one of the game’s best returners, Sabalenka was downright dominant on serve playing ferocious front-runner.
Whipping her right arm, Sabalenka served 67 percent, won 31 of 34 first-serve points, pounded down 10 aces against 1 double fault and did not trail in any service game until jitters struck when she initially served for the match at 6-3, 5-4.
How strong was Sabalenka’s serving for much of this match?
By the time it was done, Pegula hit her with a new title: “Serena” Sabalenka.
“Congratulations to Aryna,” Pegula said after host Andrew Krasny handed her the microphone to address Cincinnati fans. “Funny Andrew said Aryna and I thought he said Serena.
“But if felt like Serena today with the way you were serving a little today. I don’t know I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna today. But congrats to you…It’s cool to see it and I’m sure we’ll have many more battles. It’s always a challenge facing you.”
Two-time Canadian Open champion Pegula was bidding to become the first woman since the legendary Evonne Goolagong in 1973 to win the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in the same season.
Pegula carried an impressive nine-match winning streak into this final. The wear and tear of fighting into her second straight WTA 1000 final took a toll on Pegula who had spent 8 hours, 19 minutes on court—4 hours more than Sabalenka.
Sabalenka smacked 20 more winners than Pegula—28 to 8—and she showed variety doing it. Sabalenka used her slice at times, countered Pegula’s slice backhand with some sharp-angled finesse backhands and was a finishing force at net.
The serve set the tone, but Sabalenka showed virtually the entire shot spectrum in improving to 39-11 on the season, including a 23-6 mark on hard courts.
Heading into the start of the US Open next Monday, you have to rate 2023 US Open finalist Sabalenka, who won her first WTA 1000 title since 2020 Doha.
Hammering heavy drives, Sabalenka broke for a 3-1 lead in the opener.
That break empowered her to swing freely: Sabalenka won 12 of the final 14 points played on her serve to snatch the one-set lead. Sabalenka won 20 of 24 points played on her serve in building that one-set lead.
The third seed broke to start the second set going up 6-3, 2-0 to extend her control.
Pegula slid an ace down the T that helped her hold for 3-4 and shift some stress on Sabalenka.
On this day, nothing could faze the two-time Australian Open champion.
In a rare mis-step, Sabalenka whiffed on a serve attempt, calmly reset and cracked her ninth ace in the eighth game. Sabalenka slammed down her fourth love hold for the set for 5-3.
Still, Pegula kept the faith and fired another ace down the T that helped her hold for 4-5 and forced Sabalenka to serve for her 15th career championship.
Pegula won her first return point since 5-3 in the opening set to start the game then Sabalenka double faulted to go down love-30—the first time she trailed in a service game all day.
Crowding the baseline to receive second serves, Pegula drew a netted forehand for a break point. Pegula was again straddling the baseline when she spit back a deep return down the middle to draw a wild forehand and break back for 5-all.
Sixty-eight minutes into the match, Sabalenka’s forehand was sailing on her. Pegula found her opponent’s forehand, saving a break point as Sabalenka slapped a return into the bottom of the net.
Despite some unruly misses, Sabalenka showed bold resolve and continued to take big cuts at the ball. The Sabalenka backhand is her most stable shot. Sabalenka smoked successive backhands to bang out the boomerang break and go up 6-5.
On her second shot to serve out her first Cincinnati title, Sabalenka sealed her second championship of the season.