Erik Gudris | Sunday, August 24, 2025
Image source: Cincinnati Open Facebook
As Billie Jean King said, “Stress is a privilege.”
Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka Both may be felt when she enters Arthur Ashe Stadium to begin the U.S. Open Championship Defense.
The pressure to become the U.S. open defending champion and still looking for the first major champion of 2025. But there is also the privilege to be the defending champion and opening match on Ashe Stadium.
Despite her struggles at the outset, the World No. 1 has certainly ended its strong performance, putting the challenges she faces in the right mindset over the next two weeks.
Sabalenka’s motivation toward Switzerland Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1 reached the second round on the opening day of the year’s final Grand Slam.
It turns out that this is much closer than many people expected, as World No. 109 Masarova continued to be strong with Sabalenka until the end. Masarova has a strong serve and forehand, getting the first service break in the scene in Game 5.
Sabalenka broke backwards, but Masarova won’t back down. Both players then got the serve, and tiebreak seemed imminent.
However, when Masarova fell 5-6, Sabalenka produced a trademark forehand championship to reach the fixed point. Sabalenka showed off a great defense at the next point, entering Masarova to smash and then chase a short ball to win the game 7-5.
In the second set, Sabalenka beats multiple breakout points in her opening service game. Masarova’s own level drops at the wrong time. The 26-year-old Swiss threw two doubles in his next service match, giving Sabalenka a 2-0 lead.
From there, it’s Sabalenka’s game. Later, when Masarova threw another 4-0 breakpoint when she threw another untimely double fault breakpoint.
Sabalenka will soon end his 7-5, 6-1 victory in less than 90 minutes with his 51st win of the season.
Sabalenka’s U.S. Open Championship defense (if she did finish) will be rare in at least the last few years. No success in defending his title since no US opens women’s singles championship Serena Williams Do this in 2014.
The next step for Sabalenka is Polina Kudermetova She defeated him in the Brisbane final earlier this year.
