Aryna Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova to win the US Open title, becoming the first woman since Serena Williams (2012–2014) to successfully defend her title . The win marks the fourth Grand Slam title of Sabalenka’s career.

The victory was a major relief for the Belarusian, as it was her first Grand Slam triumph of the year after falling short in both the Australian Open and French Open finals. With the win, Sabalenka retains her world No. 1 ranking.

She shared a heartfelt message with the crowd following her win:

“I love it here. I love the support,” she said. “I feel like throughout the years we’ve built a kind of relationship, and you guys give me so much support.

You know, my first year here, when I saw I had to play back-to-back against Americans, I was just like, ‘No way, guys. Please. I don’t want to play!’

But then coming back the next year, and again having to play back-to-back against Americans, I felt a bit more support. And this year, I felt even more…

Thank you guys for bringing the best atmosphere.”

For Anisimova, it’s back-to-back Grand Slam final losses. After being defeated 6-0, 6-0 by Iga Świątek in the Wimbledon final in July, she lost again — this time with a 6-3, 7-6(3) loss to Sabalenka at the US Open. Despite the loss, she climbs to world No. 4 in the rankings.