Stars praise dramatic US Open final

Saturday’s gripping US Open final, won by Aryna Sabalenka in two tense sets over Jessica Pegula, was cheered by tennis greats from around the globe.

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Both sets featured dramatic twists and turns before Sabalenka prevailed 7-5, 7-5 in just under two hours to win her third career Grand Slam singles title, and first at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The site’s namesake herself was one of the celebrities to praise both Sabalenka and Pegula for a high-quality affair to close out the year’s final Grand Slam.

Pegula got an additional shoutout from her most ardent fans, win or lose, the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

Tennis media also showered praise on Sabalenka for coming through the tough test on Saturday, and to Pegula for battling through a top-notch Grand Slam final.

“Aryna Sabalenka feels like the best player in the world right now,” said BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller. “Both of 2024’s hard-court Grand Slams belong to her … Sabalenka’s US Open triumph sets up an exciting race for the coveted year-end number one ranking.”

“Sabalenka held her nerve until the bitter end in two intense, tempestuous sets that pushed her to her mental limits,” wrote Tumaini Carayol of The Guardian, who also called the final “a breathless tussle of the highest quality.”

Dubbing Sabalenka the “Queen of Concrete,” David Kane at Tennis.com noted her return to “prime form by the time she arrived in Flushing Meadows,” moving past “an inspired Pegula.”