Elena Rybakina Advances to US Open Final After Defeating Coco Gauff

Elena Rybakina walked into a hostile Arthur Ashe cauldron, absorbed Coco Gauff’s best blows, and walked out with a place in the US Open final – and a shot at a third major title.

The scoreline – 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 – only hints at the intensity. This was a street fight dressed up as a semifinal, a clash of raw power and stubborn resolve that swung hard in both directions before Rybakina finally ripped it from Gauff’s grasp.

Gauff starts fast under the lights

Under the New York lights and in front of a partisan crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama, Gauff came out playing like the moment belonged to her.

She absorbed Rybakina’s early pace, dug in from the back of the court and turned defence into pressure. The American’s depth and consistency began to squeeze errors from the Kazakh’s racket. A break in the sixth game sent a surge through Arthur Ashe; the fourth seed rode that wave, tightened her own service games, and locked up the opening set 6-3.

Rybakina looked rattled. The crowd roared every Gauff winner, every Rybakina mistake. For a while, the night felt scripted for the home favourite.

Rybakina bites back

Then the match changed.

Rybakina steadied, cut out the loose swings and started to hit through the court. Gauff, who had been so clean early, began to leak errors at the worst possible moments. The American’s level dipped just enough for a player of Rybakina’s calibre to pounce.

The second set turned on those small lapses. Rybakina capitalised on Gauff’s sloppy patches, stepped inside the baseline and drove her groundstrokes with greater conviction. The roar of Ashe softened as the Kazakh’s heavy ball began to dictate more and more rallies.

One break was enough. Rybakina held her nerve, held her serve, and dragged the match level at a set apiece, quieting a stadium that had been firmly in Gauff’s corner.

Decider becomes a test of nerve

By the third set, the exchanges were brutal. Both women went after their shots. Neither backed down.

Rybakina, though, started to win the biggest points. She leaned on her power, especially off the first serve, and finally cracked Gauff again to move ahead 5-3 in the decider. The finish line came into view.

Gauff refused to go quietly. She broke straight back, igniting the crowd once more and hinting at another trademark comeback. The noise returned, the belief returned. For a few minutes, momentum felt as if it might swing all the way back to the American.

Rybakina shut the door.

With the match on Gauff’s racket, the US star faltered on serve. Rybakina tightened her patterns, pressed from the baseline and broke once more to seal the victory, silencing the arena and booking her place in Sunday’s final.

It was the kind of closing game that separates major champions from contenders.

Sabalenka powers into another New York final

Waiting for Rybakina is a familiar foe: defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who earlier had swept aside Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to move within one win of a rare third straight US Open crown.

Sabalenka did not stroll through the opening stages. The top seed simmered with frustration early, her emotions spilling over as she battled her own errors as much as Pegula’s resistance. She smashed her racquet on the court after a double fault in the ninth game and hurled it down again when Pegula held for 5-5.

Those outbursts marked the turning point.

From there, Sabalenka locked in. She started to hit with ruthless clarity from the baseline, finding the lines and tearing holes in Pegula’s defences. On set point, she broke the American with a punishing baseline exchange, ripping away a tight first set.

Once in front, she surged. The Belarusian’s power game hit full throttle in the second set: 29 winners, seven aces, and a barrage of heavy first strikes that left Pegula stranded. The third seed, last year’s runner-up, saw mistakes creep in as she tried to match Sabalenka’s pace and was swept aside 6-2.

Sabalenka’s own assessment was blunt. “I was so desperate for the win, I wanted it badly,” she said, admitting this level against Pegula was “definitely the better level” than in their previous meetings, including her loss in the Berlin semifinals in June.

Pegula, chasing a first major, could only acknowledge the gulf on the day. “She played insane. She played a super-high level,” she said. “Honestly, I don't really know if there was much I could do today.”

A heavyweight rematch

So the stage is set: Rybakina vs Sabalenka, again, this time in New York. A rematch of this year’s Australian Open final, where Rybakina prevailed in three sets.

Sabalenka is one win from a slice of history in New York. Rybakina is one win from a third major and a second victory over the defending champion in a title match this season.

Two of the game’s biggest hitters. One more night in Arthur Ashe. Who blinks first?