Elena Rybakina secured her place in the US Open final on Thursday after a hard-fought 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Coco Gauff. The win sets up a high-stakes championship showdown against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina, who already impacted the rankings by displacing Sabalenka from the world number one spot upon reaching the semi-finals, now looks ahead to their final encounter with a clear strategy. “I feel like I definitely need to step my game up, serve much better than today and stay aggressive,” she noted regarding the upcoming match.
The contest began in Gauff’s favor as the American aimed for her first final appearance since winning the 2023 title. Gauff established an early rhythm, breaking serve to lead 4-2 and eventually closing out the opening set 6-3 with a love hold. However, the momentum shifted in the second set when Rybakina secured an early break to build a 3-1 lead. Although Gauff fought back to level the score at 4-4, she faltered in the 10th game, committing a double fault that handed Rybakina two set points. Rybakina capitalized on the opportunity to force a decider.
The final set mirrored the intensity of the previous frames. Rybakina broke Gauff to move ahead 5-3, putting herself in a position to serve for the match. While Gauff managed an immediate break back to narrow the gap to 5-4, she could not sustain the pressure. A precise volley from Rybakina earned her two match points at 15-40, and the match concluded when Gauff sent a wide-open smash long.
Reflecting on the grueling three-set battle, Rybakina acknowledged the fine margins that decided the outcome. “It was such a cool third set — I feel like I was a little bit lucky on her serve,” she said. “A couple of deep returns, one mistake from her, it went quickly my way… it was a real battle.” The report also notes that gauff responded superbly to claw her way back into contention with a break to make it 4-3 before holding to square it a 4-4. The report also notes that the decisive set followed a similar pattern.
