Sabalenka and Rybakina set for US Open final showdown

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will meet in the US Open women's final on Saturday after winning contrasting semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on Thursday. Sabalenka, the top seed and two-time defending champion, defeated third-seeded Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2, while Rybakina came back from a set down to beat fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Sabalenka produced her best performance of the tournament, striking 29 winners and seven aces in a contest lasting roughly 80 minutes. She showed early frustration, bouncing her racket as she struggled to make headway against Pegula's serve, but broke late in the opening set to take it 7-5. She then pulled away in the second, seizing a break for a 3-1 lead with a forehand winner and sealing the match with another break on match point. Pegula, the 2024 runner-up, was unable to counter the Belarusian's power. Sabalenka has now beaten Pegula at the US Open in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and reached a Grand Slam final for the fourth consecutive year. The evening semifinal saw Gauff, the 2023 champion, take the opening set with an early break in front of a crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama.