Aryna Sabalenka defeats Amanda Anisimova for her 2nd consecutive US Open title and 4th at a major

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka was two points away from what eventually would be a second consecutive U.S. Open title when she had what should have been a routine — easy, even — overhead smash. Instead, while backpedaling, she dumped the ball into the net, giving her opponent, Amanda Anisimova, a break chance.

After that excruciating miss Saturday, Sabalenka dropped her racket on the blue court and smiled a rueful smile. She began to feel the sort of emotions that got the better of her during losses in the finals at the Australian Open in January and French Open in June bubble up. She tried to compose herself.

“I just let the doubt get into my head,” Sabalenka explained. “But then I turned around and I took a deep breath in, and I was like, ‘OK. It happens. It’s in the past. Let’s focus on the next one.’”

So everything was fine from there? Well, no. “She broke me,” Sabalenka said with a loud laugh. “I was like, 'OK. ... Reset.”

It took another 15 minutes to complete the job, but the No. 1-seeded Sabalenka did reset, unlike at those earlier title matches in 2025, and was able to kneel on Arthur Ashe Stadium's court while covering her face with her hands after beating Anisimova 6-3, 7-6 (3). That made Sabalenka the first woman to earn the trophy at Flushing Meadows in consecutive years since Serena Williams in 2012-14.

“I truly really admire her,” said No. 8 seed Anisimova, a 24-year-old American who heard raucous support from the 24,000 or so spectators. “She puts in a lot of work, and that’s why she’s where she is.”

Sabalenka, a 27-year-old from Belarus, earned her fourth Grand Slam trophy — all on hard courts — and avoided becoming the first woman to lose three major finals in a season since Justine Henin in 2006.

Sabalenka was the runner-up to Madison Keys at Melbourne Park and to Coco Gauff at Roland-Garros.

Those defeats helped on Saturday.

“After the Australian Open, I thought that the right way would be just to forget it and move on. But then the same thing happened at the French Open," said Sabalenka, who showed up at her postmatch news conference with a bottle of Champagne and a pair of dark goggles atop her head. “So after French Open, I figured that, OK, maybe it’s time for me to sit back and to look at those finals and to maybe learn something, because I didn’t want it to happen again and again and again.”

As Anisimova kept making things close again, and the crowd kept getting loud, Sabalenka reminded herself to focus on herself.

It worked.

When Anisimova trailed Sabalenka 2-0, 30-love as Saturday’s match began, some fans might have wondered: There’s no way there’s going to be a repeat of the Wimbledon, right? That's because Anisimova's first major final, in July at the All England Club, ended with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout against Iga Swiatek.

But Anisimova grabbed the next four points to break back, capping the game with a backhand winner and a forehand winner. That got folks on their feet, shouting, and Anisimova exhaled as she walked to the sideline. Soon, she led 3-2.

That was another moment that could have thrown Sabalenka. Nope. She took the next four games and that set.

It began pouring before the match, so Ashe’s roof was shut and its artificial lights were on. That was a problem from Anisimova, who said she had a hard time seeing the ball during serve tosses.

The setup also created windless conditions, ideal for two ball-strikers who really can bring the power with good contact. And that’s what they both did.

Some exchanges were breathtaking — to them, certainly, and to those in the stands who gasped at the power during longer points. The rewards can be huge, as can the risks, and Anisimova was seeking the lines with full cuts off both sides.

“I think I didn’t fight hard enough for my dreams today,” said Anisimova, who buried her face in a towel after the match.

Of Sabalenka’s first 13 points, just one came via her own winner. The others? Six unforced errors and six forced errors by Anisimova.

By the end, Anisimova had nearly twice as many winners as Sabalenka, 22-13, and nearly twice as many unforced errors, too, 29-15.

“There was two moments where I was really close to lose control,” Sabalenka said later, “but ... I told myself, ‘No, it’s not going to happen. It’s absolutely OK.’”

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, sits on her bench after losing to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, and Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, jhold their trophies after the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, holds her trophy aftyer defeating Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, after the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, sits on her bench after losing to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, hugs supporters after defeating Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, holds up the championship trophy after defeating Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, in the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, hugs Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, after winning the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, celebrates in the crowd after defeating Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, returns a shot against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, wipes sweat from her face before serving to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, reacts after scoring a point against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, serves against Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, during the women's finals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin)

FILE - Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, right, embraces United States' Amanda Anisimova after losing in a women's singles semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, reacts after defeating Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after winning a match against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 15, 2026--

Axelspace Corporation (“Axelspace”), a leading developer and operator of microsatellites dedicated to realizing its vision of “Space within Your Reach,” has made a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jethi Software Development PLC (“Jethi”), an Ethiopian technology company, to cooperate on addressing social and development challenges through the utilization of satellite-based Earth observation (EO) data.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114413353/en/

The MoU was signed by Naol Debele, Chief Executive Officer of Jethi, and Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO of Axelspace. The signing ceremony, held in Ethiopia on January 13 (local time), was attended by representatives of the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) of Ethiopia, members of the Jethi Board of Directors and invited guests, in an official and protocol capacity.

Axelspace positions the expansion of EO data utilization in emerging markets, including Africa, as a key medium- to long-term strategic priority. Through this collaboration, Axelspace aims to support locally driven, data-informed solutions.

Under the MoU, Axelspace will provide EO data and know-how for its utilization across priority sectors, including agriculture, environmental and forest conservation, disaster risk management and climate resilience, urban planning and infrastructure development. Jethi will lead the establishment of a local framework for EO data utilization in Ethiopia, coordinating with relevant stakeholders to integrate satellite data with local information and institutional requirements. The partnership aims to identify priority challenges, develop scalable solutions that combine EO data with local information, and foster the growth of a sustainable ecosystem for satellite data utilization in Ethiopia.

Axelspace is participating in the “Emerging Countries Working Group”, which was launched in 2024 by Cross U, a general incorporated association, to promote space business co-creation between Japan and African countries.

“With the economic development of emerging countries, including those in Africa, the demand for satellite data utilization is expected to increase significantly,” said Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO of Axelspace. “We will work to build win-win relationships that create new value with local public and private sector partners, leveraging Japan’s advanced technological capabilities and expertise to contribute to the long-term development of a platform for satellite data utilization.”

For the full press release, please visit: https://www.axelspace.com/news/mou_ethiopia/

Naol Debele, Chief Executive Officer of Jethi (left), and Yuya Nakamura, President and CEO of Axelspace, at the signing ceremony on January 13 in Ethiopia