In a gripping semifinal atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Elena Rybakina secured her place in the US Open final by defeating American hopeful Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. The match, played before a capacity, high-energy crowd including Michelle Obama, saw the No. 2 seed survive a dominant opening from Gauff, who entered the contest riding a 15-match winning streak. Gauff initially appeared in complete control, leveraging a powerful service game to breeze through the first set while limiting her opponent to just four points on her own first serve.
The momentum shifted when Rybakina, who is set to ascend to world No. 1 status on Monday, found her rhythm early in the second set. Despite falling behind 4-1, Gauff staged a gritty comeback to level the score at 4-4. Rybakina, the 27-year-old Russian-born Kazakhstani, responded by taking consecutive games to force a decider. In the third set, the two players remained deadlocked until Rybakina broke through late to clinch the victory, sealing the match after an errant overhead from Gauff. Addressing the crowd afterward, Rybakina acknowledged the pro-American sentiment, saying, “I know you guys wanted Coco to win,” while praising Gauff’s heavy second serve and overall quality as a formidable opponent.
Earlier in the day, Aryna Sabalenka maintained her quest for a third consecutive US Open title by defeating No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2. The Belarusian, who holds a 19-match winning streak at the tournament, faced a tight first set against the American before breaking through to take the lead. Sabalenka’s dominance grew in the second set, eventually breaking Pegula’s resolve and forcing the American into a display of frustration after a lost service game. The victory keeps Sabalenka on track to join legends like Serena Williams and Chris Evert as one of the few women to secure three straight titles in the open era.
Sabalenka, who has become a fan favorite for her composed post-match demeanor, expressed her appreciation for the New York audience, noting that she was “super happy to play such tennis in front of you all.” She also made light of her signature Material Good necklace, describing the vintage accessory as “very chic, bright and light” despite its substantial appearance. The Belarusian remains focused on the final challenge, having previously navigated a challenging win against Pegula, whom she noted had made victory “almost impossible” in their last meeting.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s 4 p.m. ET final, the matchup between Rybakina and Sabalenka serves as a familiar encounter on the WTA Tour. The two have faced each other 17 times previously, with their recent history marked by high-stakes victories; Rybakina claimed the two most recent encounters at the Australian Open and WTA Finals, while Sabalenka has also recorded significant wins during the season, including at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. With both players demonstrating exceptional form, the championship match promises a tactical battle between two of the tour’s most consistent grand slam contenders. The report also notes that which was no surprise as she came into Thursday on a heater – winning 11 straight matches, gauff started strong. The report also notes that the 22-year-old cruised to a 6-3 first-set win over Rybakina, behind a strong service game. The report also notes that the US star never faced a break point and only lost four points on her first serve while her opponent hit 18 unforced errors, with former first lady Michelle Obama looking on and a very pro-American crowd cheering for Gauff. The report also notes that 1 come Monday with a red hot start to open the second set. The report also notes that the American fought back, eventually tying the score at 4-4 with the crowd urging her on, after jumping out to a 4-1 lead. The report also notes that finding themselves deadlocked at 3-3 before the 27-year-old Rybakina started to impose her will and won the next two games to put her on the brink of her first final appearance at Flushing Meadows, both Gauff and Rybakina went back and forth. The report also notes that clawing back to break back and make it 5-4, gauff did not back down.
