Elena Rybakina silenced a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium by fighting back to defeat Coco Gauff and reach the US Open final, where she will face defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
The Kazakh sixth seed recovered from losing the opening set to beat fourth-seeded Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a tense semi-final on Thursday.
The victory puts Rybakina into her first US Open final and keeps her on course for a third Grand Slam title. She will now face Sabalenka, who defeated Jessica Pegula earlier in the evening to move one win away from a third consecutive US Open crown.
Gauff made the stronger start in front of a passionate home crowd, breaking Rybakina in the sixth game before taking the opening set. The American's defence and consistency forced Rybakina into several errors as she struggled to find her rhythm.
Rybakina responded in the second set, taking advantage of some unforced errors from Gauff to level the match and set up a deciding set.
The Kazakh then used her powerful groundstrokes to take control of the decider. She broke Gauff to move 5-3 ahead, only for the American to immediately fight back with a break.
However, Gauff could not hold her serve again. Rybakina broke once more to close out the match and end the home favourite's title hopes.
“There were nerves,” Rybakina admitted afterwards. “Coco is a great player. It's always tough to play her.”
The 2022 Wimbledon champion said she focused on staying positive after falling behind and reminded herself to keep fighting.
Gauff, meanwhile, was left disappointed after another deep run at her home Grand Slam. The 2023 US Open champion said the defeat was painful but viewed it as another opportunity to learn and improve.
“I want to be a consistent player. I want to give myself as many opportunities to lift a trophy,” Gauff said.
While Rybakina was fighting her way past Gauff, Sabalenka was producing another powerful display on the other side of the draw.
The world No. 1 defeated third seed Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to reach her ninth Grand Slam final. She struck 29 winners and seven aces as she recovered from a competitive opening set to take control of the match.
Pegula, who reached the US Open final in 2024, made a strong start and managed to challenge Sabalenka early. However, the defending champion gradually found her range and pulled away in the second set.
Sabalenka has now won 19 consecutive matches at the US Open and is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams to win the tournament three years in a row.
“I feel confident and I feel mentally and physically really strong right now,” Sabalenka said.
The final will give Sabalenka and Rybakina another opportunity to renew one of the most intriguing rivalries in women's tennis. Sabalenka leads their overall head-to-head 10-7, although Rybakina has won four of their seven previous finals.
With Rybakina chasing her first US Open crown and Sabalenka targeting an unprecedented three-peat in New York, the final promises to be one of the biggest matches of the tournament.
