New York, September 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open women’s singles semifinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium, booking a place in the final against two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff took control early, breaking in the sixth game of the opening set and then holding serve to close it out 6-3. Rybakina responded in the second set, breaking in the fourth game to establish a 4-1 advantage.
Gauff fought back to level the set at 4-4, but Rybakina regained the initiative by breaking in the 10th game to win 6-4 and force a decider.
The third set remained tightly contested. Rybakina missed two break-point chances in the sixth game before converting her next opportunity in the eighth to move 5-3 ahead.
Gauff immediately fought back, producing a superb backhand passing shot at 30-30 to earn her first break point of the set and converting it to level the score. Rybakina, however, held her nerve and broke again in the 10th game to seal the victory in two hours and eight minutes.
The No. 2 seed will become the new world No. 1 after the tournament. She now faces Sabalenka, who defeated No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
Sabalenka has extended her US Open winning streak to 20 matches and reached her third consecutive final in New York. She also became the first player in the Open Era to reach eight consecutive Grand Slam hard-court finals, surpassing the previous mark of seven achieved by Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Novak Djokovic.
Sabalenka will be playing her ninth Grand Slam final overall and becomes only the sixth woman in the Open Era to reach at least four consecutive US Open singles finals, joining Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Graf and Serena Williams.
Rybakina and Sabalenka have met 17 times, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head record 10-7. Rybakina won their 2026 Australian Open final, while Sabalenka prevailed in the 2023 Australian Open final. Sabalenka also defeated Rybakina in their more recent meetings at Miami and Indian Wells.
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