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US Open 2026: Sabalenka levels up to keep threepeat hopes alive

Top seed finds her game to set up Rybakina final

Aryna Sabalenka / Demi-finales - US Open 2026
©Julian Finney / Getty Images North America / Getty Images via AFP
 - Reem Abulleil

The world’s top two players won in contrasting fashion on Thursday but it doesn’t matter how they got the job done because the reward is just the same – a place in the final of the US Open.

The top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka was in devastating form as she kept her hope for a New York threepeat alive with a no-nonsense 7-5, 6-2 victory over home favourite Jessica Pegula.

Second-seeded Elena Rybakina then sank the hearts of the capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe stadium by battling past 2023 champion Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach her second major final of the season and first at the US Open.

The results set up a final between the current world No.1 and the woman who will replace her at the top come Monday. We’d call it a grudge match except those two happen to get along quite well, despite their fierce rivalry that developed over their previous 17 on-court showdowns.

‘Desperate’ Aryna has Pegula’s number once again

In a repeat of the 2024 US Open final and 2025 US Open semi-final, Aryna Sabalenka played arguably her best match of the year to dispatch Pegula for a third consecutive year in her home state.

As Hall-of-Fame commentator Mary Carillo put it, Sabalenka was playing “bruising, violent tennis”.

Pegula can attest to that.

“I thought her level was insanely high,” said the third-seeded Pegula. “I don't know who pissed her off today, but she – hopefully it wasn't me totally, but might have been, I don't know – played insane. She played a super-high level. Honestly, I don't really know if there was much I could do today.”

Pegula played a high-quality opening set but credited Sabalenka’s brutal shot-making and deep second serves for the score line.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who is through to a fourth straight US Open final, fired 29 winners against Pegula and showed no mercy from start to finish – a stark removal from her narrow deciding tiebreak victory over Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the quarter-finals.

“I’m super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis,” Sabalenka said on court in front of a crowd that included former First Lady Michelle Obama and members of the NBA champion New York Knicks. “I was so desperate to get the win. I wanted it badly, and I was just trying to talk to myself and remind myself, ‘This is my home.’”

The 28-year-old has indeed been the Queen of Queens over the past four years and is aiming to become the first woman to pull off a US Open threepeat since Serena Williams won her last of six titles in New York back in 2014.

Like last year, Sabalenka arrived at Flushing Meadows having not won a major over the course of the season. With her back against the wall and the painful memories of lost finals still fresh in her mind, Sabalenka banished her demons and finished her Grand Slam season on a high note 12 months ago. She has a chance to do the same on Saturday.

“I was super desperate. I lost a tough match on grass against Jess, and I wasn't really performing well in the middle part of the season. So it kind of like feels for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push of the season. I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course, I want to go all the way,” she added.

“The mentality was just I'm ready. I'm ready for whatever it's going to take to get the win.”

Rybakina silences the crowd

In the second match of the night session, Rybakina reached the fourth Grand Slam final of her career with a comeback win against Gauff, who had the 24,000-strong Ashe crowd behind her throughout the two-hour nine-minute affair.

Going for a third major crown to add to her 2022 Wimbledon triumph and this year’s Australian Open title, Rybakina will be looking to celebrate her world No.1 coronation with another shiny trophy in hand.

“Amazing match. Very close match. Super happy, proud., I don't know, can't find other words, but definitely very happy and proud,” Rybakina said after overcoming Gauff.

The 27-year-old Kazakh committed 39 unforced errors against 22 winners but claimed 76 percent of the points behind her potent first serve and was a solid 12/17 up at the net.

“I think she played really well. 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,” said the 22-year-old Gauff.

“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. So, yeah, I think she was able to hold the line a bit better than I could tonight.”

The two-time major champion paid tribute to the crowd, and said she never takes their support for granted.

“It always sucks at the end to feel like… well, I know it's not complete disappointment, but just not be able to get the win for them, but they definitely carry me through a lot of these matches here,” Gauff added.

“I can feel the love all the way down to the last point. I think it's a rare experience I think as an individual to be able to experience that. I think most athletes experience that on team sports or team events. Tennis is so unique that you literally – I probably had, like, 99.9 percent of a crowd behind me and solely for me.

“It's an experience and an environment that I will always cherish, because I know, I hopefully have a lot more years out here, but I know in hindsight of life, it's not that long.”