The two-time Australian Open champion dropped only nine points on serve and hit 10 aces as she overcame some jitters late in the second set in an otherwise confident performance on Monday to pick up her sixth WTA 1000 title.
Pegula had appeared to be in good form after she retained her title in Toronto earlier this month but she struggled with her serve, with five double faults, as her nine-match unbeaten run came to an end.
Sabalenka got the break in the fourth game after Pegula whacked a forehand into the net and the Belarusian built on the momentum with a hold to love in the fifth, closing out the first set with an unreturnable serve.
taking charge 💥— wta (@WTA) @SabalenkaA | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/cgc7xyF7mqAugust 19, 2024
She sent over a barrage of powerful forehands to get another break in the opening game of the second set but helped Pegula to get her lone break point with a double fault and a pair of unforced errors in the 10th game.
The break-back was immediate, however, and Sabalenka blew kisses to the crowd after she forced Pegula into an error on match point.
The performance removed any possible doubt that Sabalenka is one of the hot favourites at Flushing Meadows, where she was runner-up last year, despite a shoulder injury earlier this season that forced her to miss Wimbledon.
Sabalenka, who cruised through Cincinnati without dropping a set and beat world No.1 Iga Swiatek in the semi-finals, will move up to No.2 in the rankings ahead of the US Open, which starts next week.
"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.
Pegula had mistakenly used the name "Serena" instead of "Aryna" when talking about the Belarusian in an on-court interview after her semi-final, and she joked on Monday that the mix-up with the 23-time grand slam winner was fitting.
"It felt like Serena (Williams) today with the way you were serving there," Pegula said at the trophy ceremony.Â
"I may have wanted Serena instead of Aryna."
