Aryna Sabalenka is one win away from a place in tennis history after reaching a fourth consecutive US Open final with a straight-sets victory over Jessica Pegula on Thursday.
The defending champion overcame an edgy start to beat the third-seeded American 7-5, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, setting up a championship showdown with Elena Rybakina.
Victory on Saturday would make Sabalenka the first woman since Serena Williams to win three successive US Open titles and only the third player in the Open Era, alongside Williams and Chris Evert, to achieve the feat.
“I was so desperate for the win, I wanted it badly,” Sabalenka said.
The top seed had to work through her frustration before finding the level that has carried her to the brink of another title.
She sent down seven aces and struck 29 winners, gradually overwhelming Pegula from the baseline before closing out the match with an unreturnable shot deep into the American's court.
Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in the 2024 final, briefly threatened to unsettle the Belarusian. She saved an early break point with a superb forehand winner and held her nerve as Sabalenka's frustration boiled over.
A double fault in the ninth game prompted Sabalenka to smash her racquet against the court, and she threw it down again after Pegula held serve in the 10th game.
But the defending champion responded in the best possible fashion.
She broke Pegula from the baseline on set point and carried that momentum into the second set, breaking again for a 3-1 lead with a forehand winner.
From there, Pegula struggled to match the power coming from the other side of the net. Sabalenka secured another break to move within touching distance of victory before sealing it with another fierce strike.
“No complaints,” Sabalenka said. “I'm super happy to pull out that kind of tennis.”
The win avenged her semi-final defeat by Pegula at the Berlin tournament in June and earned the Belarusian the respect of a partisan New York crowd.
“I know you wanted her to win but thank you for being so respectful to me,” Sabalenka told the fans.
Rybakina capitalises
Earlier, Rybakina produced a stirring comeback to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach her third Grand Slam final.
Gauff made the stronger start, using her defence and consistency to frustrate the Kazakh and break in the sixth game before taking the opening set amid a raucous atmosphere.
But Rybakina steadied herself, capitalising on a string of errors from the fourth-seeded American to level the match.
“I just took a deep breath and just had a positive talk with myself to try and show some good tennis,” Rybakina said.
The 27-year-old then raised her intensity in the decider, breaking for a 5-3 lead. Gauff immediately responded, but could not hold her serve again as Rybakina closed out the match.
The result also ended American hopes in the women's singles draw. With Pegula's earlier defeat, Gauff's loss means, for the first time since 2006, no American woman has reached a Grand Slam final this year.
