Iga Swiatek extends congratulations to Aryna Sabalenka on her maiden US Open triumph

Iga Swiatek recently extended her congratulations to Aryna Sabalenka on her first US Open title win. This victory marked Sabalenka's third Grand Slam title of her career.

Sabalenka had skipped the 2024 Paris Olympics in order to focus on the North American hard court swing. She had a strong showing at the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open, reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual runner-up Marie Bouzkova.

The Belarusian then competed in two WTA 1000 hard court tournaments - the Canadian Open, where she reached the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual runner-up Amanda Anisimova, and the Cincinnati Open, where she claimed the title after defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.

At the 2024 US Open, second-seed Sabalenka beat Priscilla Hon, Lucia Bronzetti, 29th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 33rd seed Elise Mertens, 7th seed Zheng Qinwen, and 13th seed Emma Navarro, to secure her spot in the final.

In the summit clash, Sabalenka triumphed over sixth-seeded Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in under two hours at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to claim her second Grand Slam title of the season.

After her win, Iga Swiatek, who had won the New York Major in 2022, took to social media to congratulate Sabalenka on her victory.

"Congratulations @SabalenkaA👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 Amazing run 🏆," Swiatek posted on X.

Sabalenka then thanked the World No. 1 for her kind words:

"Thank you 🙏 " Sabalenka replied.

Aryna Sabalenka on winning the US Open title: "It's been always my dream"

During her post-match press conference following her win over Jessica Pegula in the final of the 2024 US Open, Aryna Sabalenka expressed that Flushing Meadows was a very special place for her. The Belarusian, who had narrowly missed out on the title to Coco Gauff last year, said that winning the New York Major had always been a dream of hers.

"It's also very special place here, the US Open. I also had a lot of tough losses in the past. I was always hoping that one day I'll be able to hold this beautiful trophy. It's been always my dream," Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka said she had faced many tough losses at the US Open but was extremely happy in her ability to bounce back stronger and claim the title this year

"That's why it's very special, because no matter what, every time I was coming back stronger, and I was learning, I never gave up on this dream, and yeah, you know, it means a lot," she added.

Aryna Sabalenka finished her North American hard court swing with 16 wins and only two losses. She will next compete in the China Open in Beijing, a tournament where she reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to Elena Rybakina.