Aryna Sabalenka has not lost a straight sets match at a Grand Slam in five years.
Sabalenka won the US Open for a second time last week, after beating Amanda Anisimova in the final.
This is the first Grand Slam title that the Belarusian has won this year, with Sabalenka losing in two Grand Slam finals and one semifinal.
Despite losing three matches at majors this year, Sabalenka has still managed to at least win a set in every one.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesVictoria Azarenka: The last player to beat Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets at a Grand Slam
Sabalenka has lost five straight sets matches on the WTA Tour already this year, but the world number one has been much more challenging to beat at Grand Slams.
Since losing in the second round of the 2020 US Open, Sabalenka has won 89 out of her last 104 matches.
Of those 15 defeats, Sabalenka has only lost one of those in straight sets, which came at the US Open five years ago.
Grand SlamPlayer who beat Aryna SabalenkaUS Open 2020Lost in the second round to Victoria Azarenka, 6-1 6-3Australian Open 2021Lost in the fourth round to Serena Williams (10), 6-4 2-6 6-4Roland Garros 2021Lost in the third round to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (31), 6-4 2-6 6-0Wimbledon 2021Lost in the semifinals to Karolina Pliskova (8), 5-7 6-4 6-4US Open 2021Lost in the semifinals to Leylah Fernandez, 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4Australian Open 2022Lost in the fourth round to Kaia Kanepi, 5-7 6-2 7-6(7)Roland Garros 2022Lost in the third round to Camila Giorgi (28), 4-6 6-1 6-0US Open 2022Lost in the semifinals to Iga Swiatek (1), 3-6 6-1 6-4Roland Garros 2023Lost in the semifinals to Karolina Muchova, 7-6(5) 6(5)-7 7-5Wimbledon 2023Lost in the semifinals to Ons Jabeur (6), 6(5)-7 6-4 6-3US Open 2023Lost in the final to Coco Gauff (6), 2-6 6-3 6-2Roland Garros 2024Lost in the quarterfinals to Mirra Andreeva, 6(5)-7 6-4 6-4Australian Open 2025Lost in the final to Madison Keys (19), 6-3 2-6 7-5Roland Garros 2025Lost in the final to Coco Gauff (2), 6(5)-7 6-2 6-4Wimbledon 2025Lost in the semifinals to Amanda Anisimova (13), 6-4 4-6 6-4
Sabalenka was the fifth seed, but had never surpassed the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament before.
This continued in New York that year, as Sabalenka was beaten by her compatriot and former world number one Victoria Azarenka, 6-1 6-3.
Azarenka went on to reach the final that year, but she is no longer ranked high enough to receive direct entry for Grand Slams.
Why has Victoria Azarenka fallen to her lowest ranking in seven years?
Azarenka is a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, but she is far from that player at the moment.
The Belarusian is now a WTA Tour veteran at 36 years old, and Azarenka has struggled with injury more this year.
Azarenka has struggled to find form as well, having won only 11 of her 23 matches so far this year.
As a result, Azarenka is now ranked at world number 133, which is her lowest ranking since 2018.
This means that unless Azarenka climbs back up the rankings then she will need either a wildcard or a qualifier to play in the main draw of Grand Slams in 2026.
However, fans of Azarenka may have been encouraged by her performance at the US Open, having reached the third round before losing to fourth seed Jessica Pegula.