NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday and book a US Open championship showdown with two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
In Saturday’s final Rybakina will try to deal another blow to Sabalenka, having knocked her out of the No. 1 world ranking just by reaching the semifinals.
“I feel like I definitely need to step my game up, serve much better than today and stay aggressive,” Rybakina said of her looming clash with Sabalenka.
Sabalenka stayed on course for a third consecutive US Open crown on Thursday, with a straight sets demolition of American third seed Jessica Pegula.
Sabalenka – who beat Pegula en route to US Open wins in 2024 and 2025 – punched her ticket to final with a 7-5, 6-2 win on the Arthur Ashe Stadium.