Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina Set for US Open Women’s Final Monday

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina Set for US Open Women’s Final Monday/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Elena Rybakina rallied past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the U.S. Open women’s final.
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Jessica Pegula. Saturday’s final matches the current No. 1 against the player replacing her atop the WTA rankings Monday.

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, follows through on a shot to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Coco Gauff, of the United States, during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New
York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts during a match against Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Quick Look

Rybakina defeated Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Sabalenka beat Pegula 7-5, 6-2.
Rybakina will become the new women’s No. 1 on Monday.
Sabalenka’s reign at No. 1 ends after 99 consecutive weeks.
Sabalenka is seeking a third straight U.S. Open championship.
No woman has won three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams from 2012-14.
Rybakina beat Sabalenka in the 2026 Australian Open final.
Sabalenka hits 29 winners against Pegula's 12.
Sabalenka has won 19 consecutive matches at Flushing Meadows.
The women’s top four seeds reached the semifinals for the first time since 1975.

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, returns the ball to Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Coco Gauff, of the United States, serves to Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, during the women’s singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Deep Look

Rybakina and Sabalenka advance to US Open final

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka will play for the U.S. Open women’s championship Saturday after winning contrasting semifinal matches in New York.

Rybakina recovered from a slow start to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka advanced more comfortably, beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2.

The championship match will feature the top two players in women’s tennis. Sabalenka is currently ranked No. 1, but Rybakina will replace her when the updated WTA rankings are released Monday.

Sabalenka pursues a historic three-peat

Sabalenka has already secured two consecutive U.S. Open titles and is one victory away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to win three straight championships at Flushing Meadows.

Williams completed her three-peat from 2012 through 2014.

“I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course I want to go all the way,” Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka has won 19 consecutive U.S. Open matches since Gauff defeated her in the 2023 final.

Rybakina takes over the No. 1 ranking

Sabalenka’s 99-week run as the top-ranked woman will end Monday, regardless of who wins the championship.

Rybakina entered the tournament needing to reach the semifinals to guarantee that she would move into the No. 1 position. She secured the ranking by defeating Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals.

Rybakina began the season by winning the Australian Open, where she also defeated Sabalenka. She continued closing the rankings gap while Sabalenka endured a difficult summer by her standards.

“It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position.”

Gauff takes control of the opening set

Gauff began the second semifinal aggressively, recording four aces to Rybakina’s one in the opening set.

That was a notable advantage against Rybakina, who leads the WTA Tour in aces. Gauff claimed the first set in 38 minutes and appeared positioned to return to the U.S. Open final.

Rybakina regrouped by attempting to remain positive and increase her level.

“Took a deep breath, was trying to talk positive with myself and just told myself that I need to fight and try to show good tennis,” Rybakina said.

Rybakina holds off Gauff’s comeback attempts

Rybakina built a 4-1 lead in the second set, but Gauff responded by winning three straight games to draw level at 4-all.

Rybakina prevented the comeback from going further, capturing the next two games to force a deciding set.

The new No. 1 again moved ahead in the third, earning an opportunity to serve for the match at 5-3. Gauff broke serve as the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd—including former first lady Michelle Obama—urged her forward.

Rybakina recovered immediately and closed out the match in the following game.

“I thought it was a good match, and it honestly came down to a couple of service games of mine in both sets and I didn’t quite hold,” Gauff said. “I mean, I have to look back and see what happened, but she does a great job of just being there every point and putting a lot of pressure on you on service game and return game.”

The victory sent Rybakina into her first U.S. Open final and kept her in contention for a third Grand Slam championship.

Sabalenka overpowers Pegula

Pegula stayed close to Sabalenka throughout much of the opening set of their semifinal.

The score reached 4-all after 25 minutes, and Sabalenka showed frustration when she struggled to make progress against Pegula’s serve. Pegula had won 18 of 20 points behind her first serve when she served at 5-6.

Sabalenka then raised her level. She struck a backhand winner, benefited from a Pegula forehand error and hit another winner to produce a set-point opportunity before completing the opening set.

She controlled the second set much more decisively.

Sabalenka attacked Pegula’s second serve throughout the match, winning 14 of 19 points against it. During Pegula’s second service game of the second set, Sabalenka returned a 77 mph serve with a 90 mph forehand to secure a break and a 3-1 advantage.

Pegula praises Sabalenka's level

Sabalenka finished with 29 winners, compared with 12 for Pegula.

Pegula had previously challenged Sabalenka in the 2024 U.S. Open final and again in the 2025 semifinals. This time, she could not match the defending champion once Sabalenka took control.

“I think that’s definitely — you can ask her — probably the best match she’s played this year,” Pegula said. “I mean, I thought her level was insanely high.”

Final brings together the two leading players

Saturday’s championship will be another major final between Sabalenka and Rybakina.

Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open final in January to capture her second Grand Slam title.

Sabalenka has won four major championships and is attempting to extend her U.S. Open winning streak while securing a historic third consecutive title.

The final also completes a tournament in which the four highest-seeded women reached the semifinals for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff are multiple major champions, while Pegula continues to pursue her first Grand Slam title.