Aryna Sabalenka clinched her first title since the Australian Open by winning at the Cincinnati Open. She defeated Jessica Pegula in straight sets, ending her struggle following her early success in January.
“I want to thank my team – we’ve been through a lot but we never stopped working, never stopped improving ourselves and I’m really happy to have you by my side,” Sabalenka said.
After her Australian Open victory, Sabalenka’s season took an unexpected downturn. At the French Open, she was knocked out in the quarterfinals by the young Russian sensation Mirra Andreeva, which was followed by a severe shoulder injury that forced her to withdraw from Wimbledon. The injury, which particularly affected her serve, posed a significant challenge, and despite intensive rehabilitation efforts, Sabalenka was unable to regain full fitness in time for the tournament. This period was a low point in her season, raising concerns about her form and fitness.
“The struggles I'm going through right now, that's a lot,” she said before the tournament. “I would say that the past month [has been] really challenging for me. I've been fighting through a lot of different pains.It's teres major. I call it just shoulder injury. It's really a specific injury, and it's really a rare one. Probably I'm just the second or the third tennis player who injured that muscle. [It's] a very frustrating one. The most annoying thing is that I can do anything. I can practice, I can hit my groundstrokes. I'm struggling with serving. That's really annoying."
{{/usCountry}}“The struggles I'm going through right now, that's a lot,” she said before the tournament. “I would say that the past month [has been] really challenging for me. I've been fighting through a lot of different pains.It's teres major. I call it just shoulder injury. It's really a specific injury, and it's really a rare one. Probably I'm just the second or the third tennis player who injured that muscle. [It's] a very frustrating one. The most annoying thing is that I can do anything. I can practice, I can hit my groundstrokes. I'm struggling with serving. That's really annoying."
{{/usCountry}}However, Sabalenka’s comeback began to take shape at the Cincinnati Open. She demonstrated her fighting spirit and skill throughout the tournament, defeating some of the top players, including world number one Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. Her performance was commanding, and she did not drop a single set en route to claiming the title. This victory was Sabalenka’s 15th career title and her sixth at the WTA 1000 level, reaffirming her place at the sport's top.
Sabalenka’s Cincinnati win has now positioned her as a strong contender for the upcoming US Open. Her recent form suggests that she has recovered well from her injury and is once again playing at a high level.
"I really couldn't have wished for more. It was a really great day at the office," Sabalenka said. "Just super happy with the level I played in the final and I was able to get this title. It's really important going into the US Open."