Elena Rybakina overcame a first-set deficit to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday, September 10, advancing to the U.S. Open final where she will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Rybakina, who clinched the world No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka starting next week, will attempt to dethrone the Belarusian in Saturday’s championship match to secure her third career Grand Slam trophy.
Sabalenka secured her spot in the final earlier in the day with a 7-5, 6-2 victory against Jessica Pegula, pulling away in the second set following a competitive opening frame.
“No complaints,” Sabalenka said. “I’m just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis.”
The second semifinal demanded a tougher battle, as Gauff pushed to mounted late rallies across the final two sets, but Rybakina held her ground to close out the victory.
Rybakina, the tournament’s second seed, started her 2026 campaign with an Australian Open crown and steadily closed the distance on the top ranking while Sabalenka faltered over the summer. Her advancement to the semifinals in Flushing Meadows was sufficient to terminate Sabalenka’s 99-week stretch at world No. 1.
Having already bested Sabalenka in Melbourne earlier this season, Rybakina now sets her sight on another major title.
Sabalenka has compiled 19 straight match victories in New York since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final, registering 29 winners to Pegula’s 12 on Thursday. Pegula, who previously lost to Sabalenka in the 2024 final and last year’s semifinals, fell short once again in her quest for a maiden Grand Slam.
This year marks the first time since 1975 that all top four seeds made the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open.
If Sabalenka prevails on Saturday, she will become the first player to capture three consecutive U.S. Open women’s singles titles since Serena Williams achieved the feat from 2012 to 2014.