Elena Rybakina, who will soon be world number one, stunned Coco Gauff in a three‑set battle to book a place in the US Open final. The 27‑year‑old beat the American 3‑6, 6‑4, 6‑4, silencing the New York crowd and keeping her bid for a third Grand Slam title alive.
In the same round, Aryna Sabalenka defeated home favourite Jessica Pegula 7‑5, 6‑2, staying on course to become the third woman in the Open era to win the New York singles title three times consecutively.
Rybakina’s victory means she will face Sabalenka in a blockbuster showdown between the tournament’s top two seeds. The match will decide who ends Sabalenka’s 99‑week reign as world number one, with the rankings to be updated on Monday.
"I took a deep breath and just told myself I needed to fight and show good tennis," Rybakina said after the match. She is chasing her third Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in 2022 and defeating Sabalenka at the Australian Open in January.
The final will be the first time the top two women’s seeds have met in a US Open final since Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
