Aryna Sabalenka takes the first set 7-5 against Jessica Pegula in the US Open final

NEW YORK (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka has taken the first set of the U.S. Open women's final 7-5 against Jessica Pegula on Saturday.

Both players are trying to win the title at Flushing Meadows for the first time. The No. 2-seeded Sabalenka also won the first set of last year's final before Coco Gauff came back to beat her.

Sabalenka recovered after Pegula erased her 5-2 lead, winning a 14-point game to go back ahead at 6-5 and then closing it out on her fifth set point.

The title match is being played with the roof closed at Arthur Ashe Stadium after rain fell earlier Saturday.

Pegula is a 30-year-old from New York who is the No. 6 seed and appearing in the first Grand Slam final of her career. She had been 0-6 in major quarterfinals until eliminating No. 1 Iga Swiatek in that round on Wednesday.

Sabalenka is a 26-year-old from Belarus who is seeking her third major championship. She has won the Australian Open each of the past two seasons and was the runner-up to Coco Gauff at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Sabalenka entered the match on an 11-match winning streak. Among the crowd were Stephen Curry, Noah Lyles, Lewis Hamilton and Anna Wintour.

Pegula has won 15 of her past 16 matches, all on hard courts like those used at Flushing Meadows. The lone loss in that span came against Sabalenka in the final of the Cincinnati Open last month.

No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy will face No. 12 Taylor Fritz of the United States in the men's final Sunday. Sinner is seeking his second Grand Slam title, while Fritz hopes to become the first American man to win a major trophy since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, returns a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns a shot to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, walks onto the court for the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

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