Aryna Sabalenka Powers Past Jessica Pegula to Set Up US Open Final Clash With Elena Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka kept her bid for a rare US Open threepeat alive on Thursday, storming past Jessica Pegula in straight sets to book a championship showdown with Elena Rybakina.

Sabalenka delivered a dominant performance in a 7-5, 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating Jessica Pegula en route to her previous US Open victories in 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina battled back to defeat the 2023 champion Coco Gauff with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

In Saturday’s final, Elena Rybakina will look to challenge Aryna Sabalenka once again, following a semifinal run that ensured the Kazakh player will end the Belarusian star's reign at the top of the world rankings. Aryna Sabalenka is aiming to join legendary figures Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to secure three consecutive US Open titles, utilizing her powerful groundstrokes to overcome the third-seeded Jessica Pegula.

“I was super desperate,” said Aryna Sabalenka, reflecting on her summer after back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami in March. “I wanted it badly to go to the finals, and of course, I want to go all the way.”

“The mentality was just I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever it’s going to take to get the win,” added Aryna Sabalenka, whose performance successfully halted Jessica Pegula's hopes of claiming a maiden Grand Slam title.

In the other semifinal, Elena Rybakina overcame an early deficit against Coco Gauff. After dropping the first set, Elena Rybakina fought back to level the match and ultimately secured the victory in a tense third set, capitalizing on a crucial mistake by Coco Gauff.

Looking ahead to the men's semifinals on Friday, eighth-seeded Ben Shelton will face 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in an all-American encounter. Ben Shelton advanced after defeating defending champion and seven-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in a historic quarterfinal that concluded early on Wednesday morning. The winner of this matchup will face either top-seeded French Open champion Alexander Zverev or unseeded Russian competitor Karen Khachanov.