US Open 2026 Results: Elena Rybakina Beats Coco Gauff to Set Up Aryna Sabalenka Final
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Rybakina sets up blockbuster Sabalenka final at US Open
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Elena Rybakina had previously never advanced past the fourth round at the US Open.
By
Emily Salley, BBC Sport journalist and Sam Drury, BBC Sport journalist
Published
11 September 2026, 02:24 BST
Updated 2 hours ago
Soon-to-be world number one Elena Rybakina produced a gritty comeback against Coco Gauff to reach the US Open final, where she will face Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster showdown between the tournament’s top two seeds.
Rybakina is guaranteed to end Sabalenka’s 99-week reign as world number one and will replace the Belarusian at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday. But the Kazakh second seed could rub more salt in Sabalenka’s wounds if she can deny the top seed a third successive US Open title in Saturday’s showpiece.
Sabalenka sent a warning to her rivals as she overpowered home hope Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 to keep alive her bid to become the third woman in the Open era to win the New York singles title three times in a row. Rybakina will stand in her way after she fought back to beat American fourth seed Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4 and silence the partisan crowd.
"I took a deep breath and just told myself I needed to fight and show good tennis," Rybakina said.
The 27-year-old is chasing her third Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon in 2022 and beating Sabalenka in January’s Australian Open final. It will be the first time the top two women’s seeds have contested a US Open final since Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in the 2013 showpiece.
‘I was super desperate’ – Sabalenka’s ‘best match this year’
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Aryna Sabalenka is the first player – male or female – to reach eight successive hard-court Grand Slam finals.
Sabalenka has not been beaten in New York since losing the 2023 final to Gauff, but there were doubts over her title defence following a poor run-up to the tournament. After a strong start to the season and winning the ‘Sunshine Double’ at Indian Wells and Miami in March, Sabalenka suffered a quarter-final defeat at Roland Garros and a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.
However, she has found her form again, dropping just one set en route to the final. "I was super desperate," Sabalenka said after her win over Pegula. "It feels for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push of the season. I wanted it badly to go to the finals, and of course, I want to go all the way."
In a tense opening set, Sabalenka bristled with frustration early on as unforced errors crept into her game while Pegula settled quickly and struck the ball cleanly. But eventually the four-time major singles winner found her rhythm and, after striking decisively at 6-5 to take the first set, she cranked up the power.
Pegula looked helpless as Sabalenka raced through the second set, with the Belarusian pounding 29 winners to her 12. The victory meant Sabalenka broke the Open era record for the most Grand Slam hard-court finals in a row, with the 28-year-old reaching every major final on her favoured surface since the 2023 Australian Open.
For 32-year-old Pegula, it was another frustrating day at the office as she suffered a fourth successive defeat against Sabalenka and failed to convert any of her six break points against the top seed.
