Sabalenka Powers Past Pegula into US Open Final Against Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka moved within one victory of a historic third consecutive US Open title on Thursday, producing a dominant straight-sets performance to defeat third seed Jessica Pegula in the semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The Belarusian world star delivered a relentless 7-5, 6-2 win, maintaining her recent mastery over the American contender whom she also defeated on her way to lifting the trophy at Flushing Meadows in both 2024 and 2025. By advancing to Saturday’s championship match, Sabalenka keeps alive her bid to join tennis legends Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women in the modern era to win three straight US Open titles.

Standing between Sabalenka and the threepeat is Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina, who secured her own spot in the final with a hard-fought three-set triumph over American hope Coco Gauff. The upcoming title showdown carries an added layer of drama, as Rybakina’s run to the final rounds in New York has officially guaranteed that she will usurp Sabalenka from the World No. 1 ranking.

Sabalenka entered the contest determined to assert herself following a relatively quiet summer swing that followed her consecutive hard-court titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March. The Belarusian acknowledged after the match that she felt super desperate to reach the final round and possessed the mindset to do whatever was required to claim the victory.

The opening set proved to be a tense, tightly contested affair as Pegula’s steady serving initially kept Sabalenka from gaining an advantage. Despite displaying moments of visible frustration, Sabalenka stayed composed until the critical moment arrived with Pegula serving to stay in the set at 5-6. The American quickly fell behind 0-40, and while she managed to save one set point, Sabalenka capitalized on the second to take the lead.

The second set quickly slipped away from Pegula as Sabalenka began attacking her opponent's vulnerable second serve with blistering pace. Sabalenka unleashed a pinpoint forehand into the corner to secure a service break for a 3-1 cushion, eventually sealing the match with another break of serve courtesy of a thunderous forehand winner.

The defeat brought an abrupt end to Pegula's aspirations of capturing a maiden Grand Slam championship on home soil. Afterwards, the third-seeded American conceded that Sabalenka’s level was insanely high throughout the contest, leaving her with virtually no answers against such relentless baseline power.

Sabalenka will now turn her attention to Rybakina, who rallied from a set down in the earlier semifinal to overcome 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff by a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Gauff had initially taken charge of the match in front of a supportive home crowd, securing the only service break of the opening set to lead 4-2 before closing out the frame with a love hold. However, Rybakina mounted a swift counterattack in the second set, opening up a commanding 4-1 advantage.

Although Gauff rallied impressively to level the second set at 4-4, she faltered at the decisive moment, committing an untimely double fault in the tenth game that gifted Rybakina two set points, which the Kazakh seized to force a decider.

The third set produced further tension when Rybakina broke for a 5-3 lead, only for Gauff to break right back. Rybakina responded immediately in the following game, utilizing a deft volley to generate two match points before Gauff hit a wide-open overhead smash long to conclude the contest.

Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in January’s Australian Open final to capture her second Grand Slam crown, remarked that she would need to elevate her serving and maintain aggressive baseline pressure on Saturday. She admitted she felt fortunate during crucial moments on Gauff's serve, describing the semifinal as a grueling battle decided by fine margins.

For Gauff, the loss dashed her hopes of reaching the Flushing Meadows final for the first time since defeating Sabalenka for the championship in 2023. The American lamented unforced errors on her own delivery, noting that Rybakina held the line far better during the pivotal stages of the match.

The focus at the tournament now shifts to the men’s competition on Friday, which features a marquee all-American semifinal clash between eighth-seeded Ben Shelton and eleventh-seeded Frances Tiafoe. The blockbuster meeting between "Big Ben" and "Big Foe" ensures an American man will reach the final in an effort to end the nation's 23-year Grand Slam singles title drought.

Shelton secured his semifinal berth after eliminating defending champion and seven-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in a memorable quarterfinal encounter that concluded at 3:34 a.m. on Wednesday, setting the record for the latest finish in US Open history.

The winner of the all-American showdown will advance to meet either top-seeded French Open champion Alexander Zverev or unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov in Sunday's championship decider.