“I’m playing to win.” Before Aryna Sabalenka entered the almost-24,000-full Arthur Ashe Stadium to take on Amanda Anisimova, she only cared about defending her title. The American, however, made her final step quite difficult. From the beginning, the two were striking speedy serves and deep groundstrokes, keeping the crowd hooked. To control the game’s pace, Anisimova chased the lines with full cuts off both sides. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what cost her the first set. In the second, the New Jersey native pushed Sabalenka to break a 6-6 tie. The world No. 1, however, just doesn’t lose a tiebreaker. And she did not on Saturday either.

Sabalenka successfully defended her US Open title with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory. But as someone who had to learn through patience as well, the Belarusian had a word of advice for Anisimova. During her title ceremony interview, a rather speechless Sabalenka didn’t back down from hyping up her opponent. The Belarusian said, “First of all, I wanna say, congrats, Amanda, on reaching back-to-back finals from the Slams. I know how much it hurts losing in the finals. But trust me, the moment you’re gonna win your first one, and you’re going to win.

“You play incredible tennis. Well, congrats to you and your team on things that you’ve been able to achieve after your comeback. And, girl, you’re gonna enjoy it even more after these tough losses in the finals.”

Aryna Sabalenka had that experience firsthand. Do you remember the 2023 US Open? Sabalenka was visibly heartbroken after facing defeat at the hands of Coco Gauff in the final match. But her comeback at the US Open began in 2024. And now, with her 2025 US Open win, she became the first woman to win back-to-back US Open finals since 2014.

The 24-year-old American, too, has started her comeback journey now. Last year, Anisimova was out of the New York event in the first round itself. But she made it all the way to the finals against an opponent she had already won over in the Wimbledon semifinal. Then, Iga Swiatek ended Anisimova’s chance at the title, but the latter returned to the US Open and avenged her loss. She won an easy 6-4, 6-3 over Swiatek on her way to winning against Naomi Osaka. Moreover, this was her second consecutive Grand Slam final.

A comeback is certainly in the books for Amanda Anisimova. For now, though, she could not get past the world No. 1’s approach to defending her title. Sabalenka’s game plan was simple. Following her win over Leylah Fernandez at the US Open last 16, she revealed that she wanted to stay aggressive and put maximum pressure on her opponents.

Talking about her mentality at the US Open, Aryna Sabalenka said, “I’m playing to win, and I don’t care about what happened last year. I just know it’s a big achievement, and I’m super happy to achieve it once, but the goal is to do it many more times. So my mentality is going out there every time, bringing the best experience, and fighting for my dream.”

Anisimova also reflected on Sabalenka’s game as she said, “I just want to say congrats to Aryna, you are so incredible. I know I have to face you all the time, but I am in awe of what you have accomplished and you keep on achieving so many incredible things, so a big congratulations to you and your team. You guys are amazing.”

Now, with the massive win with a tiebreaker in the final set against Anisimova, Sabalenka proved that she’s a strong contender in the tennis world and deserves to stay at the top of the WTA list. But what do you think of her words for Anisimova? Drop down to the comments below and keep the conversation flowing. Meanwhile, don’t miss a beat from the ongoing 2025 US Open by visiting the EssentiallySports Live Blog!