US Open: Power-packed girls! Aryna Sabalenka looks to end relentless Anisimova’s fairytale run in final

New York: The US Open final promises high-voltage drama as Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova face off for one of the biggest prizes in tennis, a staggering $5 million. The defending champion’s serve will be tested by the season’s fiercest return game. Anisimova’s head-to-head record against two of the biggest ball strikers on the women’s tour — Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka — is compelling. The American, ranked No. 9, leads the Belarusian 6-3 while Osaka, a four-time major winner, is yet to get a win against her after three exchanges, including Friday’s gripping near three-hour semifinals.What makes Anisimova — born in New Jersey, raised in Florida — such a challenging match-up for the tour’s most explosive players? Anisimova, never one to hold back regardless of the moment in a match, won a commanding 67% (28 of 42) on second-serve return points against Osaka in Friday’s semifinals. Not that the Japanese was lacking in that department or any other — she won a solid 53% (25 of 47) — but in a match of fine margins, that edge proved decisive.Likewise, Sabalenka, in the Wimbledon semifinals, managed to win just 15 of 34 points on her second serve (44%), an exchange dominated by Anisimova. But in their only other meeting in the 2025 season, in the round of 16 at Roland Garros, Anisimova could eke out just 10 of 24 points on the second-serve return. Anisimova said, “That’s always been a strength of mine. I’m not really trying to go for winners, I’m trying to be aggressive. I try to use that to my advantage.”As much as Sabalenka’s consistency has been the story of the year on the women’s tour, having made three major finals, where she has faced three different Americans — Madison Keys, Coco Gauff and now Anisimova in Flushing Meadows — the remarkably poised 24-year-old’s narrative has been equally engaging.Anisimova, still finding her feet in the sport after a eight-month mental health break in 2023, has made big strides in the mental game, coming back from a bruising double bagel in the Wimbledon final.“When I was at Wimbledon, every single match was kind of like a surprise to me,” said Anisimova, who was in the qualifying draw at south-west London in 2024 and on Monday will debut in the top-five at No. 4 in the WTA rankings. “Here it feels more like I believe in myself, and I’m able to do it. That’s been the shift for me,” she added.Animova’s 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Osaka is indicative of how she has managed herself after her breakthrough run at Wimbledon. “I could have said, she’s playing better than me, and I can’t really do anything,” the American said of the semifinals. “I tried to find a way, any way, to stay in the match, even though it was extremely tough, and she was playing really great tennis. I have worked on myself to be able to handle those moments, even when it feels like what is there to believe in.”Belief in herself is why Anisimova took that break two years ago when everyone told her it was too long and she may never make it back even to the top50. The 24-year-old wasn’t looking at top50, she was looking at herself, her immense potential and the rich possibilities she believed in. “I just keep telling myself that I can do it. I say that over and over again, not just in the match, but the whole day,” she said with a smile.For Sabalenka, who rallied for a 4-6, 6-3 6-4 win over Jessica Pegula in the semifinals, it’ll be as much about her serve as it will be about managing emotions, as she goes up against another crowd favourite. New York will and want to hold Anisimova up (not that Anisimova needs it) as much because she’s one of theirs as because of what happened at Wimbledon and her heroic fight back. “I have to trust myself, I have to go after my shots,” said Sabalenka, who hasn’t missed a Grand Slam final on hardcourts since 2022.“I felt like in the Wimbledon semifinals, I was doubting my decisions.” Anisimova would agree. Doubt can have no place on Arthur Ashe come Saturday.