No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula after 2 sets on the morning of September 11 (Vietnam time) to reach the US Open final for the fourth consecutive year, thereby maintaining hope of creating a rare miracle of winning the championship 3 times in a row.
The Belarusian player showed unstoppable form in a 7-5, 6-2 victory at Arthur Ashe's court, where she defeated Pegula on her US Open championship journey in 2024 and 2025.
Sabalenka, in an effort to be on par with Chris Evert and Serena Williams in winning the US Open 3 times in a row, scored 29 winner points, including 7 direct serve points, and continuously pressed 3rd seed Pegula with powerful shots at the baseline.
With her performance in the semi-finals, Sabalenka will enter the final with high confidence after playing the best match of the tournament, extinguishing Pegula's dream of winning the first Grand Slam title in his career.
I am extremely happy to be able to play like that," Sabalenka shared, "I am burningly eager for victory. I really want to have it.
Both Sabalenka and Pegula served excellently in the tense first set, where the result was only decided in the final game.
Sabalenka's frustration at not being able to break Pegula's service game was evident through her shoulder pounding and racket hitting on the court, but she still maintained her focus and was rewarded.
Pegula, under pressure to hold the service game while being led 5-6, let his opponent lead 40-0.
The American player saved a set-point but could not save the next point when Sabalenka returned the serve powerfully and won the set after Pegula hit his forehand into the net.
Sabalenka continued to maintain her excitement in set 2, attacking Pegula's unstable second serve and getting a break to take a 3-1 lead. She sealed the victory with another serve break, launching a powerful forehand at the decisive point of the match.
This is another disappointment at the Grand Slam arena for Pegula. She lost to Sabalenka in 2024 - her only major final to date - as well as in the semi-finals last year.
A few minutes after the first semi-final, Elena Rybakina entered the court and prepared her spirit for the unfavorable reception from the audience when facing Coco Gauff - a player who has been very loved by New York fans since her first debut at the US Open with a wildcard when she was only 15 years old in 2019.
Gauff entered the match with a confident mentality, especially when escaping danger in the quarter-final match against Mirra Andreeva. The No. 4 seed served well, made accurate shots, made it difficult for Rybakina and won a break in game 6 to lead 4-2, before ending set 1 with a score of 6-3.
Entering set 2, the No. 2 seed returned, taking advantage of the first break opportunity to create a 4-1 lead. Although Gauff also quickly broke the game, the 27-year-old player's bravery helped Rybakina get another break to win 6-4, bringing the match to set 3.
The decisive set was balanced and dramatic in the final stage. Rybakina broke the game to lead 5-3 and had a chance to finish the match when serving in the decisive game.
However, the Kazakhstani player's too gentle finishes allowed Gauff to counter-attack and break back.
Spirit was high, but in the end, Gauff still had to succumb to the "Queen of Silence" with very good returns and situation building. Gauff lost a break when the smash went out, the dream of keeping the women's singles championship cup in the US like in 2023 shattered.
With Rybakina, for the first time reaching the US Open final and a very big challenge ahead named Sabalenka - who she just ranked No. 1 on the WTA rankings.
The match took place in the early morning of September 13 (Vietnam time).
