NEW YORK: World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, nicknamed “The Tiger”, showed more steel than fury on Saturday as she overcame Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(3) to retain her US Open title and clinch a fourth Grand Slam crown.

The Belarusian, who carried the weight of three painful major defeats this season, steadied herself in key moments to become the first woman since Serena Williams (2012–14) to successfully defend the Flushing Meadows crown.

Sabalenka entered the final with scars of back-to-back losses in the Australian and French Open finals and a Wimbledon semi-final defeat to Anisimova. But instead of being weighed down, she turned those disappointments into motivation.

“After the Australian Open I thought the right way was to forget and move on, but then the same thing happened at the French Open,” Sabalenka told reporters. “So I figured maybe it was time to sit back and learn something.”

Determined to stay composed, she said her mindset was simply to fight for every point and control her emotions regardless of the scoreboard.

The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd roared for Anisimova, but Sabalenka, 27, displayed maturity under pressure. Serving for the match, she faltered with a missed smash that allowed her American opponent to break back.

The momentum shift could have proved costly, but Sabalenka recovered in the tiebreak, extending her record run to 19 consecutive tiebreak victories.

“There were moments where I was really close to losing control,” she admitted. “But then I took a deep breath and told myself, it happens. Let’s focus on the next one.”

The triumph marked her 100th Grand Slam match win — a milestone she said was made sweeter by the struggles along the way.

“This one felt like I had to overcome a lot to get here,” she said. “It means a lot to defend this title, to bring the fight, and to handle my emotions the way I did. I’m super proud of myself.”