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On Saturday, Jessica Pegula will take court in the final of the 2024 U.S. Open after an improbable come-from-behind victory against Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.
The 30-year-old American will face No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the 2024 Cincinnati Open final, which Sabalenka won in straight sets.
Here’s everything you need to know about tomorrow’s final.
Location: Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York
Streaming: ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes
Prize Money: $3,600,000 (winner), $1,800,000 (runner-up)
For the fourth consecutive time, a hard-court Grand Slam final will feature Sabalenka.
Since losing to Amanda Anisimova on August 10, the Belarusian has been playing flawlessly, winning 11 straight matches while dropping just one set.
Sabalenka has more momentum and form compared to Pegula, but for the second straight match, the crowd will be against her.
The two will meet for the eighth time, with Sabalenka steadily controlling the head-to-head (Sabalenka leads 5-2).
Though, on the hard-court surface, they have split the four matches they’ve played.
Saturday’s final will likely come down to serving, especially for Pegula, who in their last match won just 13 of 29 points on her second serve.
Sabalenka has always demonstrated the ability to dominate opponents’ second serves; in her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, she won 67 percent of points on each opponent’s second serve.
With the crowd on her side, Pegula can keep things close, but she’ll need to be at her very best.
In the end, Sabalenka’s power and physicality might be too much for Pegula to handle.
Prediction: Sabalenka in straight sets
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