“I love revenges,” declared Aryna Sabalenka during the run-up to the 2025 US Open women’s singles championship.
A good thing, that. Because the player she’d face in the final was American Amanda Anisimova, who defeated her in the Wimbledon semifinals this year. Fair to say, the American was a major factor in Sabalenka’s pre-US Open “Slamless” 2025.
Make that Americans: Madison Keys beat her in the 2025 Australian Open final, and Coco Gauff edged her in the Roland Garros title round.
Playing absolutely lights-out tennis, Sabalenka managed to flip that script, defeating Anisimova, 6-3, 7-6(3). In doing so, the world No. 1 also managed to claim her second consecutive US Open women’s singles crown—the first player to do so since Serena Williams in 2014—and her fourth major title.
In advance of Saturday’s final, Sabalenka pointed to self-doubt in big moments as a factor in her loss to Anisimova at Wimbledon.
“I have to trust myself and I have to go after my shots. I felt like in that match at Wimby, I was doubting a lot my decisions,” she said, adding that “that was the main thing that was bringing a lot of unforced errors.”
And the now-two-time US Open champion Sabalenka definitely went for her shots in the final—impressively so. But beyond big shots, Sabalenka also controlled her emotions. And that’s the thing she’s most proud of.
“To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot,” she said in her post-match press conference. “I'm super proud right now of myself.”
As an example of her ability to keep her feelings in check, Sabalenka pointed to the moment when she was up a set and serving at 5-4 with the match on her racquet. And then she fluffed an overhead smash, sending the ball into the net.
“I turned around and I took a deep breath in, and I was, like, OK, it happens. It's in the past. Let's focus on the next one,” she said. And then, laughing, she added, “and then she broke me.”
Still, Sabalenka managed to maintain control—and she shared why. “I'm able to handle my emotions much better,” she said, “because I have a better understanding of who I am.”
A philosophical Sabalenka says she also frames losses as “lessons” now. And beating players she’d fallen to before spurs a desire to “prove to myself that I could do it… to prove to myself that the lesson was learned.”
She went on to add: “All of those lessons are making me tougher, tougher and tougher.”
Future opponents, consider yourselves warned.
