Defending champion Sabalenka beats Pegula in semifinals

NEW YORK (AP) — On Aryna Sabalenka's first chance to end her U.S. Open semifinal against Jessica Pegula for the chance to play for a second consecutive trophy, the defending champion dumped what should have been an easy overhead into the net, then stared at the ground. On Sabalenka's second chance, she missed a clumsy volley — and maybe shouldn't have even ventured forward, because she went just 15 for 27 when up at the net. Uh, oh. So good at important moments in the high-stakes, high-tension final set, Sabalenka held it together there and held on, converting her third match point Thursday night to finish off a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Pegula in a rematch of last year's final. "I was super emotional. I was just like, 'Oh, my gosh, no way it's happening. Please, just close this match,'" Sabalenka explained afterward. "The whole match, I just keep telling myself: (Onto) the next one, just one step at a time, don't worry about the past. Just try better in the next point." When it was over, Sabalenka rocked back on her heels, spread her arms and screamed. On Saturday, when she faces No. 8 Amanda Anisimova or No. 23 Naomi Osaka, the No. 1-seeded Sabalanka will be trying to become the first woman to claim consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams got three in a row from 2012 to 2014. "I had to work really hard to get this win," Sabalenka said after improving to 8-2 against Pegula over their careers. "Hopefully I can go all the way again." Thursday's first semifinal was quite close, far closer than the straight-set triumph for Sabalenka over Pegula 12 months ago that gave the 27-year-old from Belarus her third Grand Slam title, all on hard courts. Since then, Sabalenka was the runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January and to Coco Gauff at the French Open in June, then was eliminated in the Wimbledon semifinals by Anisimova in July. Arthur Ashe Stadium's retractable roof was shut before the semifinals began, which prevented disruption from the wind outside gusting at up to 30 mph and the rain that arrived during play. In the good, indoor conditions, No. 4 Pegula played about as cleanly as possible in the first set and the third, making just three unforced errors in each. But in the second, that count was nine. By the end, Sabalenka had accumulated more than twice as many winners as Pegula, 43-21. "We were pushing each other," Pegula said, "every single game." All evening, Pegula went after her returns, taking big cuts and not playing it safe, by any means. This, then, was the key: Sabalenka was able to save all four break points she faced in the last set. "It was really high-level. I don't really know what else to say," said Pegula, who was wearing a white New York Yankees jacket and enjoying a root beer lollipop at her news conference. "I don't know how I didn't break back in the third." Asked how she managed to handle those moments, Sabalenka replied with a laugh: "Just praying inside and hoping for the best." Neither she nor Pegula had lost a set in the tournament before Thursday, although Sabalenka only needed to go through four matches, instead of five, to reach the semifinals, because her quarterfinal opponent, Marketa Vondrousova, withdrew with an injured knee. That meant Sabalenka hadn't competed since Sunday. Might she be rusty? Sure didn't look that way at the outset, and Sabalenka used a nifty drop-shot-volley-winner combination to help go up a break and grab a 4-2 lead. But Pegula didn't fold. In the next game, with the thousands in the stands roaring for every point gained by the American, Sabalenka netted off-balance groundstrokes on two points in a row and double-faulted to get broken right back. Sabalenka shook her head and slammed her arms by her side. That ended her run of 32 consecutive holds, and she draped a white towel over her head at the changeover. Pegula then broke again to cap a four-game run that wrapped up the set and, this time, Sabalenka quickly retrieved her bag and headed off to the locker room. When she came back, Sabalenka elevated her play — and steadied her mind when necessary. "I will go out there on Saturday," she said, "and I'll fight for every point like the last point of my life." ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis