“I really wanted to win a slam for him, just to put our family name in the history,” Aryna Sabalenka confessed in an episode of the second season of the Netflix series Break Point. She has four of those now, thanks to her victory over homegirl Amanda Anisimova at this year’s US Open final. But her father still continues to be in her heart. It became evident after she let her emotions speak louder than her words following a special triumph she longed for throughout this season.

Back in 2019, Sabalenka’s father passed away at just 43. He was suffering from meningitis, an infection that results in inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord. While it was the toughest battle she had to go through in life, Sabalenka gathered up her spirits to fulfill a special promise she made to her father. That she would win at least one slam before turning 25. And she did make it happen. In 2023, down under, when she bested Elena Rybakina in the final at Rod Laver Arena, she knew her father was keeping an eye on her, showering his blessings for her to accomplish even more slams. Fast forward to 2025, and she hasn’t stopped doing it.

Following her victory against Amanda Anisimova on Saturday, she reiterated her feelings on losing her father while reacting to her title defense. “It means a lot. And you know, when he passed away, I was very depressed. It was a tough moment for me, for my family. But in that moment, I decided to take it as motivation to put our family name in the history.” Well, she has written her name in history indeed, and now stands shoulder to shoulder with Serena Williams.

After all, the Belarusian became the first woman to defend her US Open title since the 23-time Grand Slam winner. Feeling the warmth of her father’s love, she further added, “I know that he’s, I want to believe, and I think I feel his protection from up there. And I know that he became my power. So, it means a lot.”

Probably her words might be true after all. That’s why she was able to defy the odds against 23,859 spectators at the Arthur Ashe stadium, who stood behind her opponent and local star Amanda Anisimova. The latter was leading 6-3 in H2H tally prior to the summit clash on Saturday. But this time, Sabalenka came prepared to avenge a two-month-old setback, and that’s all thanks to her mental fortitude.

Aryna Sabalenka avoids “doubting” herself, takes revenge

Just over 50 days ago, at the grass major, the 24-year-old American shocked the world and the WTA No.1 in a thrilling semifinal battle. Amanda Anisimova ousted Sabalenka while making it to her maiden slam final.

This weekend, she was in her second-straight summit clash of a major event. And Sabalenka was under pressure to not only win her first slam of the season and defend her crown, but also take revenge. Well, she accomplished all three of these objectives. In the run-up to the US Open championship, she had declared, “I love revenges.” She had assessed herself well ahead of the final and knew exactly what she had to do to go all the way. “I have to trust myself and I have to go after my shots. I felt like in that match at Wimby, I was doubting a lot my decisions,” she had said while underlining, “that was the main thing that was bringing a lot of unforced errors.” 

Sabalenka took a more conservative approach this time, hitting only one ace and 13 winners. This time it was Anisimova who let the pressure get the better of her, conceding 29 unforced errors compared to the Belarusian’s 15. At the end of the day, it all came down to the break-point chances with Sabalenka winning 5 out of 6.

“To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot,” she said after her thumping win over her tour nemesis in straight sets with a score line of 6-3, 7-6(3). “I’m super proud right now of myself.” 

Next up is the men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcarz. Don’t forget to follow our live US Open blog to stay in touch with all the updates from Flushing Meadows.