After falling in the final of the French Open and Australian Open, there was added pressure on Sabalenka. Her anxiety and stress were often evident, and at times her emotions took control.
But in New York, and especially in the final, it was a different Sabalenka. She battled, and she was able to manage her mood.
"I felt like I had to overcome a lot of things to win this title. So when I did, it was really full of emotion. I'm extremely proud of myself now," she admitted.
Sabalenka's career is slowly reaching the stage where she is starting to be talked about as an icon. The heroes of today need not only successes, but also dips and failures, so that they can learn from mistakes.
Sabalenka has done just that. She was able to dig herself out of her bad moments, take the lessons from her worst losses, and was rewarded again with the champagne that she got sprayed with in her ski goggles.
Key moments
Quarter-final: Aryna Sabalenka vs Marketa Vondrousova - retirement
It was supposed to be one of the highlights of the tournament. The 2023 Wimbledon winner was in great form in New York and was a real threat to Sabalenka, having beaten her in four of their nine matches.
However, the Czech sprained her knee in preparation for the quarter-finals and withdrew two hours before the start of the match.
"I am very sorry for what Marketa is going through. She plays amazing tennis, and I know how much this must hurt her. Take care of yourself, and I hope you will get better soon," Sabalenka told Marketa Vondrousova on Instagram.
Semi-final: Aryna Sabalenka vs Jessica Pegula (4-6, 6-3, 6-4)
The replay of last year's final went better for Jessica Pegula. After winning the first set, Sabalenka started to dictate the pace of the game and managed to fight off break points when the American was still trying to turn the match around in the final set.
The sixth game of the third set was clearly the most important, when Pegula failed to level the score three times.
Final: Aryna Sabalenka vs Amanda Anisimova (6-3, 7-6)
For the first time in the tournament, Sabalenka was not the more active player, with Amanda Anisimova trying to dominate the rallies. But the American's winners were often overshadowed by a large number of unforced errors.
The match was decided by the tiebreak in the second set, where Sabalenka also had one of Anisimova's seven double faults to thank.
"I felt I didn't play my best tennis throughout the match. I was very nervous, I have to work on that," lamented Anisimova, who lost her second Grand Slam final in a row.
Key numbers
4 - Sabalenka has already won four Grand Slam singles titles and all of them on outdoor hard courts. Only Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters won their first Grand Slams on hard court before her.
That Aryna is a specialist on these surfaces is evident from her record at the Australian and US Opens since 2023, which stands at 39 wins and just two losses.
For the sake of completeness, we should also mention that Sabalenka also owns two Grand Slam doubles trophies, and she won those at her favourite venues in Melbourne and New York as well.
19 - That's how many tiebreaks in a row Aryna Sabalenka has won; no other tennis player has managed such a streak in the "open" era of tennis.
Dominance in the shortened game helped the Belarusian triumph at the US Open. Sabalenka played three and allowed Polina Kudermetova, Leylah Fernandez and Anisimova a total of nine points in them.
100 - With her triumph in the final, Sabalenka rounded up her Grand Slam victories to an even 100. The impressive jubilee certainly pleased her, as it did Iga Swiatek at the previous Grand Slam.
Both also reached the number 100 in the most important match of the tournament. The current tennis icons are really lucky - only those two have reached this beautiful milestone in a title match in the open era of tennis.
Aryna Sabalenka's triumph in New York earned her the highest prize money in Grand Slam tournament history, which amounts to five million dollars.
But she also recognised that the tennis elite around her was levelling out and more and more opponents were threatening her dominance. Her lead at the top of the WTA rankings is also very large thanks to her triumph at the US Open, and already this year in New York, she was in danger of losing her number one position.
One of those eyeing her title was her final opponent. And Sabalenka suspects that it is on the hard courts that this sharpshooter with an exceptional backhand may soon succeed.
"I know how much it hurts to lose in the final. But believe me, the moment you win the first one... and you'll win it because you're playing incredible tennis... Then after the tough losses and the times you've been through, you'll enjoy it even more."