Everything you need to know about the US Open final

NEW YORK — World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka and No.6 Jessica Pegula have been the stars of the summer hard-court season. Now the two veterans will clash for the second straight final, this time with the US Open title on the line.

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Sabalenka returns to the US Open final with some unfinished business. The 26-year-old has been the most consistent and dominant force at the hard-court Slams, but the US Open remains a hurdle. Last year, she let a one-set lead slip against Coco Gauff in the final. This year, she’s made her second Slam final of the season and riding an 11-match win streak.

Across the net will be New York’s own Pegula, who is into her first Grand Slam final at 30 years old. While the American may not match Sabalenka’s Grand Slam prowess, Pegula is second to none on hard courts. After a back injury kept her sidelined in the spring, Pegula has been on a tear this summer, winning 15 of her last 16 matches.

That one loss? To Sabalenka in the Cincinnati Open final three weeks ago.

Here’s what you need to know about this high-stakes US Open final:

When is the women’s singles final?

The women’s singles final will take place on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. local time.

What are the points and prize money at stake?

The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season. By making the final, Sabalenka and Pegula have assured themselves 1,300 points and $1,800,000.

The winner will earn 2,000 points and $3,600,000.

Pegula will return to No.3 on the PIF WTA Rankings after the tournament. By making the final, she will move to No.5 on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals and can move as high as No.3 if she wins the title.

Sabalenka will leave New York at No.2 on both the PIF WTA Rankings and PIF Race to the WTA Finals.

How did Sabalenka and Pegula get here?

Saturday’s final will feature the two hottest players of the summer hard-court season. They split the two WTA 1000 tournaments last month and lead the tour in wins since the Olympics, tied at 15 apiece. Pegula captured the title in Toronto, her second title of the season, and went on to the Cincinnati final the following week. There, she came up against Sabalenka, who prevailed in straight sets.

A champion at the Australian Open in January, Sabalenka has now won 13 straight matches at hard-court Slams. In fact, dating back to the start of 2023, she has won 26 of her last 27 matches at the Australian Open and US Open, with her sole loss over that stretch coming to Coco Gauff in last year’s final.

She has lost one set in New York in an otherwise dominant run through six matches. After defeating Priscilla Hon and Lucia Bronzetti, Sabalenka came from a set down to beat 26th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the lastest-start of a match in US Open history, then ousted Elise Mertens and Olympic Gold Medalist Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals.

Facing No.13 seed Emma Navarro, Sabalenka managed her nerves down the stretch to close out a 6-3, 7-6(2) win to make back-to-back US Open finals.

Pegula carried her momentum through the tournament to advance to her first major semifinal without losing a set. After defeating Sofia Kenin and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first two rounds, Pegula eased past 18th seed Diana Shnaider before toppling World No.1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. That victory ended a 0-6 drought in major quarterfinals.

In the semifinals on Thursday, Pegula came back from a 6-1, 2-0 deficit to upend No.52 Karolina Muchova to win 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 to advance to her first major final.

What milestones are at stake on Saturday?

Already a two-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is trying to win her third major title, which would move her to fourth place among active players behind Venus Williams (7), Swiatek (5) and Naomi Osaka (4). A win would net her a 16th career title and third of the season.

Sabalenka can become the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to sweep the hard-court Slams in a single season. Only four players have done it in the Open Era: Stefanie Graf (1988,89), Monica Seles (1991,92), Martina Hingis (1997) and Kerber (2016). She could also become the fourth player in the last ten years to win multiple Slams in a single season, joining Serena Williams (2015), Kerber (2016), and Swiatek (2022).

Pegula is bidding to capture her first Grand Slam title and seventh career title overall. A champion this year in Berlin and Toronto, a win would bring home a third title this season.

Pegula could become the 10th American woman to win the US Open and fifth since 2000, joining Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and Gauff. She would also be the first Asian American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era.

Having already defeated No.1 Swiatek in the quarterfinals, Pegula could become the first woman to defeat both No.1 and No.2 en route to a major title since Svetlana Kuznetsova at the 2009 French Open. She would be the first to do it at the US Open since Maria Sharapova in 2006.

With Coco Gauff winning the title last year, a Pegula win would be the first time two different Americans won the US Open in consecutive years since 2001-02 when the Williams sisters won the title.

How do they stack up?

Saturday’s final will be a rematch of the Cincinnati final, which Sabalenka won 6-3, 7-5. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 5-2. Pegula’s last win came in the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Cancun last fall. That 6-4, 6-3 win put Pegula into the biggest final of her career before Saturday’s impending duel.

What are they saying?

Sugar: “If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I’d be in the finals of the US Open, I would have laughed so hard, because that just was where my head was. I was not thinking that I would be here. So to be able to overcome all those challenges and say that I get a chance at the title Saturday is what we play for as players, let alone being able to do that in my home country here, in my home slam. It’s perfect, really.”

Sabalenka: “I had really tough lessons here in the past. I think I had so many opportunities here, but I didn’t use it for different reasons. I wasn’t ready. Then I got emotional. Then I just couldn’t handle the crowd. I felt like I just missed an opportunity, and every time I’m coming back here, I really enjoy being in New York. I enjoy these courts, I enjoy the crowd, I enjoy playing in this beautiful stadium in front of the crowd. I enjoy the city, the time on the court.

“Every time I’m coming back here, I have this positive thinking, like, Come, on, maybe this time. Every time I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to hold that beautiful trophy.”

Sugar: “Honestly, I’ve always felt like — not that it was never going to happen — I almost think the opposite. I always felt, like, you’ll figure it out eventually. That’s always something I’ve always told myself, I’ll figure it out, like, one of these times. I think that’s just kind of maybe my quiet kind of confidence to myself that I feel like I always have.

Sugar: “Obviously she’s a really great hard court player, if not one of the best in the world, but I think I’m also a really good hard court player. Cincinnati, she served unbelievable, and I felt like I still had chances in that match. So hopefully she doesn’t serve that good Saturday. Maybe a little bit less would be nice.

“But I think I know that I can have a game that can possibly frustrate her. I feel like in the past I just have to be aggressive, I have to get her moving, serve smart, and try and put some pressure on her serve.”

Sabalenka: “She’s playing her best tennis, I would say, and feels like she’s back on track. She won the tournament, then she made the final, then she’s here, [in] another final. So she’s in incredible shape. It’s going to be another great battle against her. Cannot wait to play against her.”