The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd anticipated a gripping US Open 2025 women’s final as defending champion Aryna Sabalenka faced rising American Amanda Anisimova. What followed was a clash of nerves, power, and resilience, with momentum swinging wildly before Sabalenka ultimately secured her second straight crown in New York.
Butterflies, Break Points, and Shifting Momentum
Amanda Anisimova entered Arthur Ashe Stadium with visible nerves. During the pre-match interview, she appeared the more unsettled finalist, yet on the third point she struck a clean backhand winner that seemed to shake off her jitters. Immediately, she carved out break points, giving herself chances to start on the front foot.
But her early opportunity slipped away. A missed break chance was followed by an unforced error, and suddenly the tension returned. At that very moment, a butterfly drifted across the court — a symbolic reminder of the “butterflies” swirling in her stomach. Sabalenka, unmoved by the interruption, steadied herself and held serve after three deuces for 1-0.
Anisimova’s reply was uneven. After another mishit and a backhand into the net, she lost her opening service game, extending a streak of 14 consecutive games lost across two Grand Slam finals. That statistic must have been weighing heavily on her mind.
Sabalenka, too, wobbled. The World No.1 committed back-to-back unforced errors and faced break points. What followed was a blistering rally at searing pace, ended only when Anisimova fired a forehand into the corner to break back for 1-2. With renewed belief, she consolidated for 2-2.
For a third consecutive service game, Sabalenka again had to fend off break points. Anisimova’s aggressive returning — so sharp all tournament — rattled the Belarusian, who rarely faces such pressure on serve. With bold shot-making, the New Jersey native broke again and surged to 3-2.
But momentum in this final swung like a pendulum. Serving to consolidate, Anisimova faltered. Her forehand deserted her, and Sabalenka broke back immediately. At 3-3, the errors piled up for the American. Though she created 30-30 pressure in the next game, she again came undone with a careless miss. The depth and length of her strokes vanished.
Game eight told the story of her struggle: an ace for 15-0 gave hope, but two consecutive double faults crushed it. Anisimova overthought, hesitated, and gave away the game. Sabalenka seized her chance, served out the set comfortably, and after 39 minutes took it 6-3.
Sabalenka vs Anisimova – Set 1 Stats
| Statistic | Sabalenka | Anisimova |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 1.46 | 0.69 |
| Winners | 3 | 13 |
| Unforced Errors | 4 | 15 |
| Serve Rating | 231 | 142 |
| Aces | 0 | 2 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 63% (22/35) | 52% (11/21) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 55% (12/22) | 45% (5/11) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 54% (7/13) | 20% (2/10) |
| Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) | 0% (0/3) |
| Service Games | 60% (3/5) | 25% (1/4) |
| Ace % | 0% | 9.5% |
| Double Fault % | 2.9% | 9.5% |
| Return Rating | 310 | 171 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 55% (6/11) | 45% (10/22) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 80% (8/10) | 46% (6/13) |
| Break Points Won | 100% (3/3) | 40% (2/5) |
| Return Games | 75% (3/4) | 40% (2/5) |
| Pressure Points | 75% (6/8) | 25% (2/8) |
| Service Points | 54% (19/35) | 33% (7/21) |
| Return Points | 67% (14/21) | 46% (16/35) |
| Net Points | – (0/0) | 100% (1/1) |
| Total Points | 59% (33/56) | 41% (23/56) |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 5 |
| Service Games | 60% (3/5) | 25% (1/4) |
| Return Games | 75% (3/4) | 40% (2/5) |
| Total Games | 67% (6/9) | 33% (3/9) |
| Max Games In A Row | 4 | 3 |
| Set 1 Duration | 0h 39m | |
It was a strange opener. Sabalenka had not started strongly, but she stitched together streaks of four consecutive games, capitalizing whenever Anisimova’s forehand cracked under pressure.
Second Set: Light Troubles and a Flicker of Hope
For Anisimova, the task was immense. Of the 29 grand slam matches where Sabalenka had won the opening set, she had closed out 27 of them. Still, the American refused to fold.
Her opening service game was a marathon. Squinting into the lights, she shouted at her team, “I cannot see the ball.” From the player box came the reply: “Keep believing in yourself.” Somehow, she held.
Yet Sabalenka looked increasingly in control. Without forcing winners, she pushed Anisimova into errors. A quick break of serve made it 2-1, then 3-1, and the home crowd groaned. Anisimova seemed trapped in a puzzle with no solution.
At 3-2, however, she found an opening. A Sabalenka double fault handed her three break points. With the crowd roaring, Anisimova grabbed the game to love. Suddenly, hope was alive again.
The sixth game was crucial. Needing to consolidate, Anisimova faltered immediately. At 0-15, Sabalenka struck a winner; another double fault and a forehand miss handed the break straight back. Trouble returned. At 4-3 down, the American had already sprayed 13 forehand errors. Two more came in her next service game, gifting Sabalenka a 5-3 lead.
With the champion now serving for the match, the stadium braced for the end. Yet Anisimova wasn’t finished. She attacked bravely, producing a brilliant cross-court volley and another sharp return. At 0-30, the upset seemed possible. But Sabalenka’s serve came to the rescue — an almost-ace, then 30-30. She stood just two points away. A smash into the net, though, gave Anisimova a lifeline. On break point, a first serve into the net spelled disaster. After a furious rally, Anisimova broke back for 5-5, and Arthur Ashe exploded in noise.
With the crowd behind her, Anisimova went on the offensive. Backhands clicked, and she surged to 6-5, forcing Sabalenka into the position of serving just to reach a tiebreak. For the first time all evening, the World No.1 looked shaken. But just as she had in the semifinal against Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka called on her greatest weapon: her serve. She struck her first ace of the match and held with ease. 6-6.
The final would be decided in a tiebreak.
The Tiebreak: Sabalenka Slams the Door Shut
For all her fight, Anisimova started the breaker poorly. An ace gave her a 1-0 lead, but she quickly surrendered a mini-break. A double fault left her trailing 1-4, and Sabalenka crushed a service winner on the line to change ends ahead 5-1.
The champion, who had won 20 of 21 tiebreaks this season, wasn’t about to falter. Anisimova saved two match points with a fine ace and a Sabalenka mishit, pulling back to 6-3, but the deficit was too large. One last error ended the contest.
Sabalenka sealed the tiebreak 7-3, closing out a 6-3, 7-6 victory in just under two hours.
Sabalenka vs Anisimova – Set 2 Stats
| Statistic | Sabalenka | Anisimova |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 1.37 | 0.73 |
| Winners | 10 | 9 |
| Unforced Errors | 11 | 14 |
| Serve Rating | 273 | 231 |
| Aces | 1 | 2 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 5 |
| 1st Serve % | 68% (23/34) | 60% (27/45) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 65% (15/23) | 63% (17/27) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 73% (8/11) | 44% (8/18) |
| Break Points Saved | 0% (0/2) | 33% (1/3) |
| Service Games | 67% (4/6) | 67% (4/6) |
| Ace % | 2.9% | 4.4% |
| Double Fault % | 2.9% | 11.1% |
| Return Rating | 193 | 195 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 37% (10/27) | 35% (8/23) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 56% (10/18) | 27% (3/11) |
| Break Points Won | 67% (2/3) | 100% (2/2) |
| Return Games | 33% (2/6) | 33% (2/6) |
| Pressure Points | 40% (2/5) | 60% (3/5) |
| Service Points | 68% (23/34) | 56% (25/45) |
| Return Points | 44% (20/45) | 32% (11/34) |
| Net Points | 75% (3/4) | 33% (1/3) |
| Total Points | 54% (43/79) | 46% (36/79) |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 2 |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 6 |
| Service Games | 67% (4/6) | 67% (4/6) |
| Return Games | 33% (2/6) | 33% (2/6) |
| Total Games | 50% (6/12) | 50% (6/12) |
| Max Games In A Row | 3 | 3 |
| Set 2 Duration | 0h 57m | |
Conclusion: Anisimova’s Pain, Sabalenka’s Glory
Amanda Anisimova fought with heart, raising the roof with her comeback in the second set. But her forehand betrayed her with more than 15 unforced errors, and when it mattered most, nerves again denied her the chance to turn the final.
For Aryna Sabalenka, the victory cemented her status as the dominant force in New York. She became the first woman since Serena Williams to win back-to-back US Open titles, her power and resilience once again proving unshakable.