Sabalenka and Pegula renew rivalry
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will attempt to move one step closer to a third consecutive US Open title when she faces third seed Jessica Pegula in Thursday's semi-finals. Sabalenka has reached the semi-finals in New York for a sixth straight year and is two wins away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014 to win three straight titles at Flushing Meadows. The top seed had not dropped a set before surviving her toughest test of the tournament on Tuesday, edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.[S1]
Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 9-4, but Pegula has won two of their last three encounters, including a victory in the Berlin Open semi-finals earlier this year in which she took the deciding set 6-0. Their rivalry returns to Flushing Meadows for a third straight year after Sabalenka denied the American the title in 2024 and then beat her again in last year's semi-finals. Pegula said she finds the rivalry fun to look at and acknowledged that Sabalenka has got the better of her in New York the last couple of years, adding that beating her on a smaller stage may be a hurdle to overcome.[S1]
Rybakina takes on Gauff for a place in the final
Elena Rybakina secured the top ranking with her quarter-final victory over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng. The Australian Open winner will become the 30th woman to top the WTA rankings and the first from Kazakhstan to reach world No 1 when the new rankings are released after the tournament. Sabalenka, who had held the top spot since October 2024, said she would gladly trade it for another US Open title, describing a three-peat as sounding great.[S1]
Rybakina's reward for reaching the semi-finals for the first time in New York is a meeting with fan-favourite Coco Gauff, who produced a stunning comeback to beat fifth seed and fellow French Open winner Mirra Andreeva. The 2023 US Open champion was on the brink of defeat in the second set before saving two match points and turning the match around. Gauff's victory put her into the semi-finals at a second straight Slam after her run to the last four at Wimbledon, and she will have the home crowd behind her as she bids to clinch a second US Open title.[S1]
Gauff said Rybakina is playing great tennis and congratulated her on becoming the new world No 1, calling it incredible. She noted that they played each other in Toronto, where the match did not go her way, and said she must learn from that. Gauff added that she knows she will have aces and winners hit on her, but she will keep fighting and give it her all. Rybakina will bid for a third Grand Slam title, while Gauff will have revenge on her mind after the Kazakh beat her in three sets in last month's Canadian Open semi-finals.[S1]
On playing Gauff, Rybakina said she expects a lot of people to support her opponent. She said she just needs to stay aggressive, noting that from where she was coming to this tournament, being injured and not practicing, they came pretty far. She added that now it is just the last push and it is important to still enjoy, hoping it will go her way. The pair are tied 1-1 in their previous meetings and will face off for a place in Saturday's final.[S1]
