The queen of the hard courts defended her crown Saturday in New York, as Aryna Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to become the first woman to go back-to-back at the US Open since Serena Williams won three in a row from 2012 to 2014.

The feat drew praise from tennis legends including Billie Jean King, Rod Laver and Martina Navratilova, all eager to celebrate the world No. 1.

After finally securing her first major title of the season, Sabalenka received a champion’s welcome worthy of her dominance.

Congratulations, @SabalenkaA, on your second and well-earned US Open title. Your passion and determination are incredible. Commiserations to Amanda Anisimova, who had a fantastic tournament and is getting closer to a big breakthrough. Keep fighting for it! 🚀

— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) September 6, 2025

@SabalenkaA puts a massive cherry on the cake- was so close this year and got it done at the Open- well done Champ!!!

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) September 6, 2025

Beyond the legends, voices from other corners of the tennis world rose to recognize — and reflect on — the magnitude of Sabalenka’s greatness.

No matter how many times she falls, most often than not by her own doing, Aryna Sabalenka always lands back on her feet. She’s a feline.

That she was able to let go of all the negativity this year at Slams to win the US Open…

That is so, so remarkable. pic.twitter.com/NDyIZWhHav

— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) September 7, 2025

If a Nike athlete won a title and the company isn’t locked and loaded with a custom slogan to commemorate the moment, did it even happen?

Now, I present to you a slogan so simple, so iconic, it can only be outdone by Sabalenka herself.

Speaking of iconic, the caption game from the official Grand Slam admins is next level. Not even Flavio Cobolli could compete with some of these.

The moment was so big — even the Wimbledon X account stirred from its slumber to make an appearance.

From the outside looking in, “HER-story” is shaping up to be a remarkable one. But no great story is complete without the finer details — and Sabalenka’s stats deliver.

Aryna Sabalenka’s dominance on hard courts continues in 2025

• 4th Grand Slam Title
• First to Defend USO Since Serena (2012-14)
• 3rd Player to make 6+ Consecutive Hard Court Slam Finals (Record is 7)
• 2,077 Point Lead in Race
• 100th Grand Slam Match Win

📸 Jimmie48/WTA pic.twitter.com/mKTtPhDWFi

— Tennis Updates (@TennisUpdates25) September 6, 2025

After such a dominant showing at the US Open, it seems the only tennis-related problems Sabalenka faces now are ‘champagne problems’.

Get it?

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper New York City sporting event without a celebrity cameo from Ben Stiller — and yes, he gave a shoutout to the champ.

But enough chit-chat, here are the key numbers from Sabalenka’s latest Grand Slam breakthrough:

Fast Facts

Sabalenka is the first player to win back-to-back US Open women’s singles titles since Serena Williams in 2013-14.
With her victory in the final, Sabalenka achieved her 100th Grand Slam match win in just 126 matches. In the past 15 years, only Iga Swiatek reached 100 wins faster, doing so in 120 matches.
Sabalenka is the second player in the Open era to record her 100th Grand Slam match win in a major final, joining Swiatek, who accomplished the feat at Wimbledon earlier this year.
Sabalenka became the third player in the Open era to win her first four Grand Slam titles on hard courts, following Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters
Sabalenka is the first non-American in the Open era to win multiple US Open women’s singles titles while defeating American opponents in both the semifinals and final. She beat Emma Navarro and Jessica Pegula in 2024, and Pegula and Amanda Anisimova this year.
With her latest win, Sabalenka recorded her 50th career victory over a top 10 opponent, making her the fourth active player to reach that milestone, alongside Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Swiatek.
Since 1988, Sabalenka (2023-25) is only the third player to reach the women’s singles final at both the Australian Open and US Open in three consecutive years, joining Steffi Graf (1988-90) and Martina Hingis (1997-99).