NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina rallied past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday night and will face Aryna Sabalenka in a U.S. Open final between the top players in women’s tennis.
Rybakina is already guaranteed to replace Sabalenka atop the rankings next week and on Saturday will attempt to take the trophy that Sabalenka has won the last two years.
Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal, running away with the second set after they played largely even in the first.
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“No complaints,” Sabalenka said. “I’m just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis.”
The nightcap was more a battle, with Gauff trying to fight from behind in the final two sets, but Rybakina not letting her come all the back.
The No. 2-seeded Rybakina won the Australian Open to start the year and capitalized on Sabalenka’s poor results in the summer to continue closing in the race for No. 1. She needed only to reach the semifinals in New York to unseat Sabalenka, who has held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks.
Rybakina beat Sabalenka in Australia and will be seeking her third Grand Slam title on Saturday.
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Gauff won her first major title as a teenager when she rallied past Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, but nobody has been able to knock off the Belarussian in Flushing Meadows since. Pegula put up a good fight in the 2024 final and last year’s semifinals, but she couldn’t keep it close the way Sabalenka played Thursday – and wasn’t sure anybody else would’ve, either.
Sabalenka pounded 29 winners to Pegula’s 12. She has won 19 straight matches at the U.S. Open since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final.
The top four seeds made it to the women’s semifinals at the U.S. Open for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have all won multiple major titles, while Pegula is still looking for her first.
Sabalenka needs a victory to become the first player to win three in a row in Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012-14.
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