Coco Gauff bounced from US Open by new world No.1 Elena Rybakina, who will face Aryna Sabalenka in final
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — Just when Coco Gauff thought she was back in control of her semifinal bout with Elena Rybakina, she wasn’t.
In front of a fired-up, sold-out crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the second of two US Open women’s semifinals saw the No. 2 seed Rybakina defeat the No. 4 seed Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Gauff started strong, which was no surprise as she came into Thursday on a heater – winning 11 straight matches. Behind a strong service game, the 22-year-old cruised to a 6-3 first-set win over Rybakina. With former first lady Michelle Obama looking on and a very pro-American crowd cheering for Gauff, the US star never faced a break point and only lost four points on her first serve while her opponent hit 18 unforced errors.
But the Russian-born Kazakhstani showed why she will be the world’s new No. 1 come Monday with a red hot start to open the second set.
After jumping out to a 4-1 lead, the American fought back, eventually tying the score at 4-4 with the crowd urging her on.
However, Rybakina shook off the break, taking the next two games to force a deciding third set to determine who will join women’s top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Both Gauff and Rybakina went back and forth, finding themselves deadlocked at 3-3 before the 27-year-old Rybakina started to impose her will and won the next two games to put her on the brink of her first final appearance at Flushing Meadows.
Gauff did not back down, clawing back to break back and make it 5-4. She let out a primal scream as the New York crowd showed their love and support. This was the moment Gauff appeared ready to take advantage of the momentum.
But Rybakina showed no intimidation, quickly coming through with a decisive break to clinch the victory after Gauff sent her overhead shot out of bounds, much to the shock of those there to root on the American.
“I know you guys wanted Coco to win,” Rybakina said afterward.
Rybakina will now look to win her third grand slam in her career, but gave praise to Gauff following the match.
“Coco, she’s a great player. It’s always tough to play against her. Even if sometimes her first serve doesn’t go, the second one is so heavy,” Rybakina told ESPN. “… Took a deep breath. Was trying to talk positive to myself and just told myself I need to fight and try to show good tennis.”
Sabalenka books another US Open final place
Sabalenka advanced to her fourth straight US Open final after overwelming No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in Thursday’s first semifinal.
The first set was not a walk in the park for the two-time reigning champion.
The Belarusian star and the American traded games back and forth until the deciding game, where Sabalenka dominated Pegula’s serve to avoid a first-set tiebreak and win the opener 7-5.
Sabalenka quickly went up 4-1 in the second set before Pegula battled to take the sixth game. But frustration boiled over for Pegula after dropping the next game, which resulted in her throwing her racket to the ground.
Sabalenka clinched another title chance this weekend with a strong forehand that Pegula failed to connect with. She has now won 19 straight matches at the US Open.
The 28-year-old won this tournament in 2024 and 2025 after losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 championship match. She can become the third-ever woman to win three straight in the open era, joining Serena Williams and Chris Evert.
Afterward, Sabalenka said she had “no complaints” about how the match went.
“Last time I played Jessica, it was almost impossible to get the win, so I am super happy to play such tennis in front of you all,” Sabalenka addressed the crowd while speaking to ESPN.
“Thank you for the atmosphere, and honestly guys, you are the best. Your respect to me is priceless and I know you wanted (Pegula) to win but thank you for being so respectful to me.”
Sabalenka once again rocked some custom jewelry during the match that has people talking. She previously said her vintage-looking Material Good necklace looks heavy, but it isn’t. “It’s very chic, bright and light,” she said.
Rybakina and Sabalenka know each other’s games well, having previously met 17 times on the WTA Tour, with Rybakina winning the last two tilts – earning the Australian Open and WTA Finals titles. Sabalenka has won the two most recent meet-ups – the championship match at Indian Wells and in the Miami Open semis en route to winning the title (over Gauff).
The women’s final is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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