Aryna Sabalenka bests American hope Jessica Pegula for U.S. Open title in New York City

Aryna Sabalenka won her third career Grand Slam singles title, defeating American Jessica Pegula in straight sets (7-5, 7-5) to capture the U.S. Open championship in New York City on Saturday.

The 26-year-old Sabalenka won a trio of major tournaments in the past 20 months, following back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and this year.

Hoisting the Tiffany-designed cup in Flushing brought a joyful end to Sabalenka's tumultuous and emotionally draining 2024 season.

Two months after capturing her second consecutive Australian Open title, Sabalenka’s former boyfriend and one-time NHL player Konstantin Koltsov died by suicide near Miami.

Immediately after his death, Koltsov was identified as Sabalenka’s boyfriend. But the tennis player later revealed the pair had quietly separated prior to his passing.

Illness and injuries played roles in Sabalenka’s exits at this year’s French Open, Berlin Ladies Open and Wimbledon.

Sabalenka, a native of Minsk, Belarus, played this year without a country to her name.

While everyone else has a native land flag next to their names in official listings, Sabalenka has a blank space by hers due to Minsk’s ongoing support of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.

The world No. 2 Sabalenka's win on Saturday denied Pegula what could have been her first Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka overpowered the American, who tried her best to keep up by playing above her normal pace. Pegula went on a 5 game winning streak, but it wasn't enough.

This was the first Grand Slam final for the 30-year-old Pegula, whose family owns the Buffalo Bills football team and Sabres hockey team. She had previously reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon (2023) and the French (2022) and Australian opens (2021-23).

Pegula reached the title match about 48 hours after rallying to a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 semifinal triumph against Czech opponent Karolina Muchova.

Pegula’s father is energy billionaire Terry Pegula, 73, who has an estimated worth of $7.7 billion and is the world’s 403rd richest man, according to Forbes.

Despite her family’s extreme wealth, Pegula won over New York City fans with her insistence on taking the subway from Manhattan to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.