2-0! US Open First Finalist Emerges as World No. 1 Extends Streak to 19 Wins, Securing at Least $1.9 Million in Prize Money

7-5, 6-2.

Two ordinary-looking scores appeared on the scoreboard at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows Park, New York, on the morning of September 11 Beijing time. Top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka needed 1 hour and 19 minutes to stop No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula, who was playing at home, from reaching the final.

But the meaning behind the scoreboard was far greater than those two numbers.

This was Sabalenka's 19th consecutive win at the US Open—after losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, she has not lost another match on these blue hard courts. It was also her fourth straight appearance in the US Open final; the last women's player to achieve this was Serena Williams from 2011 to 2014. Along with this victory came guaranteed runner-up prize money of $2.8 million, nearly 19 million yuan. Once she steps onto the final court, the money is already secured.

One more step forward, and the champion's prize is $5.5 million, about 37 million yuan, the highest singles champion prize money in tennis history.

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First, here is how the semifinal was decided.

In the first 11 games of the opening set, both players held serve and neither could earn a break point, with the score tied at 5-5. Pegula's first serve was highly reliable, winning 18 of her first 20 service points, including two love holds, and she was fully competitive.

The deadlock was broken in the 12th game. Pegula's service game suddenly weakened, and Sabalenka increased the power on her forehand shots, taking the opportunity to break serve and win the first set 7-5. The set lasted more than 40 minutes, with Sabalenka hitting 4 aces and 17 winners. The winners comparison was 17-6, and second-serve point winning percentage was 64% to 38%.

The turning point in the second set came in the fourth game. Sabalenka moved forward on return positioning and attacked without hesitation, taking a break for a 3-1 lead. She held with an ace in the fifth game for 4-1. Pegula held on in the sixth game to close to 2-4 and briefly stayed in the match.

In the eighth game, that hope was ended. Sabalenka broke serve again and closed out the match 6-2. She completed three breaks in total, each coming in Pegula's must-hold service games; Pegula earned only one break point and failed to convert it.

The full match statistics showed Sabalenka with 29 winners and Pegula with 12; Sabalenka won 74% of first-serve points, committed 15 unforced errors, while Pegula had 22.

Pegula was not an easy opponent. Ranked No. 3 in the world with 50 tour wins this season, she also had a first-serve percentage above 70% in this match and held serve comfortably in several earlier games. Her problem came in the two most crucial service games.

This was the third consecutive year the two players had met in a deep stage of the US Open. Pegula lost the 2024 final, the 2025 semifinal, and now this year's semifinal. In their 14th career meeting, Sabalenka improved their head-to-head record to 10-4. Pegula won once at this year's Berlin grass-court event and even delivered a bagel in the deciding set, but once back on the US Open hard courts, the script was no longer hers to write.

Pegula's wait for a Grand Slam title has now extended through her 14th appearance. She is the only semifinalist in this year's event without a Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka's path through the tournament has also been notable. She won her first four rounds in straight sets without dropping a set, and was not pushed to three sets until the quarterfinals against Linda Noskova, where she fell behind in the deciding set before battling back.

After that match, she actually rediscovered her form. In the semifinal, her errors were clearly reduced, and she stayed firm on key points. After the match, she simply clenched her fist and walked back to her chair, without a roar or a racket throw.

Nineteen consecutive wins, spanning three seasons, including two US Open titles.

Reaching the US Open final for four straight years makes her the sixth women's player in the Open Era to achieve this feat. The previous five were Goolagong, Evert, Navratilova, Graf and Serena Williams. She is also the first woman in tennis since Serena Williams from 2011 to 2014 to accomplish it.

There is another more significant record: starting from the 2023 Australian Open