A Serve That Never Wavered
Aryna Sabalenka is through to the US Open final after beating Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium, closing out the semifinal in one hour and twenty minutes.
The world number one held all ten of her service games. Across the entire match she faced exactly one break point and saved it. Pegula, ranked third, faced eight and lost three of them, which was the whole difference in a first set that stayed level until Sabalenka broke through at 5-5 and served it out 7-5.
The second set went quickly. Sabalenka took it 6-2 and won eight of the last ten points of the match.
Where the Match Was Decided
Neither player did much on first-serve return: Sabalenka won 22% of those points, Pegula 26%. The gap opened on the second ball. Sabalenka won 67% of her own second-serve points to Pegula's 26%, and 74% of the second-serve return points to Pegula's 33%. When the rally started from neutral, only one player was winning it.
The rest follows from there. Sabalenka hit 29 winners to Pegula's 12, served seven aces to four, and averaged 176 km/h on first serve against 161. She went forward 11 times and won seven of those points, 64% to Pegula's 17%. Total points finished 65-54 in her favour from 119 played, and she took 13 of the 20 games.
Her three double faults were the only real blemish; Pegula served none. It did not matter, because those three points never arrived at a moment when Pegula could use them.
What It Means
Sabalenka reaches the final having played the cleanest possible semifinal on serve: ten holds from ten, one break point faced, one saved. She awaits the winner of the other semifinal.
TennisDraw brackets in the women's draw are down to their last picks.
