Women's Singles: Sabalenka vs Pegula
Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, faces Jessica Pegula, the third seed, in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final and a semifinal from last year, both won by Sabalenka. Since then, Pegula has won two of their three meetings, on grass in Berlin and on hard court in Wuhan, while Sabalenka won at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Pegula is a problem solver and will have analyzed her previous losses in New York, while Sabalenka looked vulnerable in a narrow win over Linda Noskova on Tuesday. Pegula can cause a minor upset, but the match is expected to be brutal and likely to go the distance. Pick: Pegula in three.[S1]
Women's Singles: Rybakina vs Gauff
Elena Rybakina, the second seed, takes on Coco Gauff, the fourth seed. Gauff is a fighter and uses the home crowd's energy, so she cannot be ruled out, but it would be a minor shock if she beat Rybakina, who is now most people's favorite for the title and will become world No 1 next week. The 27-year-old Rybakina is a dominant force on hard courts when her serve is firing, as it has been over the past 10 days. Naomi Osaka had no answer in the last 16, and Zheng Qinwen submitted to Rybakina's serve and groundstrokes in the quarterfinals. Pick: Rybakina in two.[S1]
Men's Singles: Zverev vs Khachanov
Alexander Zverev, the top seed, faces Karen Khachanov. Zverev has reached the semifinals at all four majors this year and is the only Grand Slam winner left in the men's draw. The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up would likely view it as a failure if he did not claim a second major title from this point. Zverev leads the head-to-head 6-3 and has won four of the last five against Khachanov. Pick: Zverev in four.[S1]
Men's Singles: Tiafoe vs Shelton
Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed, faces Ben Shelton, the eighth seed, in an all-American showdown that guarantees a home player in the final. For both, it is a third major semifinal of their careers: Tiafoe has lost twice in the last four in New York, while Shelton has made the semifinals in Australia and the US. The 23-year-old Shelton leads their head-to-head 3-1 and seems to have all the momentum after his big win over Carlos Alcaraz. It is unlikely to be easy. Pick: Shelton in five.[S1]
