Aryna Sabalenka captured her second title of the year and first since the Australian Open after defeating No.6 Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday.
Cincinnati is Sabalenka’s 15th career title and sixth WTA 1000 title.
Only two active players have won more WTA 1000 titles, with both Iga Swiatek and Victoria Azarenka winning 10.
Cincinnati is Sabalenka’s first WTA 1000 title since winning 2023 Madrid and her first hard-court WTA 1000 win since 2020 Doha.
Sabalenka will overtake Coco Gauff and return to No.2 on the PIF WTA Rankings.
She will also pass Elena Rybakina to sit at No.2 on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard.
Sabalenka’s win ended Pegula’s nine-match win streak, which began with the American’s title run at the National Bank Open last week.
Pegula on Monday was bidding to become the first woman in over 50 years to sweep titles in Canada and Cincinnati in a single season.
After beating Paula Badosa in the semi-finals, Pegula became just the third American in the Open Era to make the finals of both tournaments, joining Serena Williams and Rosie Casals.
Pegula, who won last week’s Toronto title, was the third American player from the Open Era to reach the Canadian and Cincinnati Open finals in the same year after Rosie Casals (1970) and Serena Williams (2013).
Pegula and Badosa were hit by a rain delay of well over an hour midway through the second set with Badosa leading 4-3 and trailing a set.
They resumed with the Spaniard forcing a third set before Pegula broke for 5-3 in the third and served out victory a game later.
