Sabalenka Avoids Another US Open Upset With Fightback Against Alexandrova

Aryna Sabalenka faced her first significant challenge at this year’s US Open, overcoming a set deficit to defeat Ekaterina Alexandrova. Coming into the tournament as the world No. 2 and fresh off a victory at the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka was widely regarded as a favorite, particularly given her previous hard-court Grand Slam successes, including two Australian Open titles. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has also pointed to Sabalenka’s advantages over world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, last year’s US Open champion, as a reason to consider her the frontrunner.

Sabalenka’s performances in the opening rounds reinforced this view. She delivered a strong start by overpowering Priscilla Hon in the first round and securing an even more comfortable win against Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the second round.

In contrast, Alexandrova, the No. 29 seed, had to fight through two tough three-set matches to reach the third round, defeating Viktoriya Tomova and Iva Jovic with identical 7-5 third sets. The physical and mental toll of those matches added to the challenge of facing Sabalenka.

Despite this, Alexandrova started the match confidently, holding her own on serve and competing well in rallies. Her solid play caused Sabalenka to make a series of uncharacteristic unforced errors, with her usually precise groundstrokes frequently missing their mark.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd was stunned as Sabalenka lost five consecutive games, dropping the first set 2-6. Given the earlier upset on the same court, where Novak Djokovic lost to Alexei Popyrin, another surprise seemed possible.

Both players worked hard to hold their opening service games in the second set. Sabalenka appeared to shift the match’s momentum after saving a break point, and although Alexandrova also held firm in the next game, Sabalenka’s powerful hitting started to find its mark.

From 1-1 in the second set, Sabalenka’s game began to click. Her opponent, though still playing well, struggled to cope with the increased intensity from the two-time Australian Open champion.

Sabalenka’s hard-court game is often the best in women’s tennis when she’s in form, and she demonstrated that in the final two sets. Her returns, in particular, were exceptional, consistently landing at Alexandrova’s feet and putting her on the defensive.

In the second set, Sabalenka won five consecutive games to take it 6-1, mirroring Alexandrova’s earlier streak. From there, the match continued in one direction.

Sabalenka’s dominance continued into the third set, where she won the first five games. Alexandrova’s body language showed she knew the match was slipping away, yet she managed to rally from 0-5 down, winning two games in a row to bring the score to 2-5. Despite this late surge, it was too late to turn the tide.

Sabalenka closed out the match on her second opportunity, securing a 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory and advancing to the next round.