Elena Rybakina’s victory over Coco Gauff changes the top of the women’s game: the Kazakh will end Aryna Sabalenka’s 99-week run as world number one when the rankings are updated on Monday, and she now faces Sabalenka in Saturday’s US Open final.
The Story in Pictures
Rybakina, seeded second, recovered from a set down to beat the American fourth seed 3-6 6-4 6-4, overcoming a late service break when serving for the match before striking back to seal her place in the title match. The 27-year-old had never reached beyond the fourth round at Flushing Meadows before this week and is chasing a third major, having won Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in January.
After the semi-final Rybakina said, "I took a deep breath and just told myself I needed to fight and show good tennis." She also downplayed the ranking milestone, asserting, "It's just a number right now, my goal is to win the tournaments which I play," and warning she must improve aspects of her game ahead of the final, "I definitely need to step my game up [in the final], serve better than today, stay aggressive and really go for my shots."
Sabalenka reached the decider with a 7-5 6-2 win over Jessica Pegula, striking 29 winners to Pegula's 12 as she finished strongly in the second set. The top seed has dropped only one set on her path to the final and extended an Open era record for consecutive Grand Slam hard-court finals, becoming the first player, male or female, to reach eight straight on the surface.
"I was super desperate," Sabalenka said after her win, calling the run in majors "like a last push of the season." The Belarusian is bidding to become the third woman in the Open era to win the US Open singles title three times in a row.
The matchup carries history: the top two seeds have not contested the US Open final since Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in 2013, and Sabalenka holds the head-to-head edge with 10 wins in 17 meetings. The pair split their most significant recent encounters, with Sabalenka victorious at Miami and Indian Wells this year, and Rybakina prevailing in the Australian Open final in January.
For Pegula, the semi-final defeat continued a pattern against Sabalenka; at 32 she remains the only semi-finalist this week without a Grand Slam title. Pegula said of Sabalenka's performance, "I do think she probably would have beaten 99% of people," calling it "Probably the best match she's played this year." The final on Saturday will decide whether the outgoing world number one defends her New York crown or the incoming No 1 seals her rise with another major trophy.
