New York (AFP) – Aryna Sabalenka stormed past Jessica Pegula in straight sets on Thursday to keep her bid for a rare US Open three-peat on track, booking a championship showdown with Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka was simply unstoppable in a 7-5, 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she beat Pegula en route to US Open victories in 2024 and 2025. Rybakina battled back to beat 2023 champion Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In Saturday’s final, the Kazakh will try to deal Sabalenka another blow after her run to the semi-finals ensured she will end the Belarusian’s reign atop the world rankings. Sabalenka, bidding to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three straight US Open titles, pounded third-seeded Pegula remorselessly with her powerful groundstrokes.
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“I was super desperate,” said Sabalenka, who has had a slow summer since back-to-back wins at Indian Wells and Miami in March. “I wanted it badly to go to the finals, and of course, I want to go all the way. The mentality was just I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever it’s going to take to get the win,” Sabalenka added after producing her best performance of the tournament to snuff out Pegula’s dream of a first-ever Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka’s frustration at her inability to make any headway against Pegula’s serve showed in a tense first set. But she maintained her focus and was rewarded as Pegula, feeling the pressure to stay in the set as she served down 6-5, fell behind 0-40. The American saved one set point but couldn’t salvage the next. Sabalenka kept rolling in the second set, attacking Pegula’s suspect second serve and seizing a break for a 3-1 lead when she lasered a forehand into the corner. She sealed the victory with another break courtesy of another thunderous forehand.
“I thought her level was insanely high,” Pegula said. “Honestly, I don’t really know if there was much I could do today.” Rybakina, who beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January to claim her second Grand Slam title, said she would need to raise her level to do the same in Flushing Meadows. “I feel like I definitely need to step my game up, serve much better than today and stay aggressive,” Rybakina said.
Gauff’s bid to return to the final for the first time since she defeated Sabalenka for the 2023 title had got off to a smooth start, the American gaining the lone break of the opening set for a 4-2 lead and pocketing the set with a love game. But Rybakina hit back with an early break on the way to a 4-1 lead in the second. Gauff responded superbly, breaking back and holding to square the set at 4-4 to roars from the crowd.
However, she was unable to make the most of her fightback and double-faulted in the 10th game to hand two set points to Rybakina, who pounced to force a third set. Rybakina looked on the brink of victory after breaking Gauff for a 5-3 lead in the third. Gauff broke back, but Rybakina clinched it in the next game. A deft volley from Rybakina left her with two match points, and Gauff then hit a wide-open smash long to hand her opponent victory.
“I feel like I was a little bit lucky on her serve,” Rybakina said. “A couple of deep returns, one mistake from her, it went quickly my way…it was a real battle.” Gauff, meanwhile, was left reflecting on the fine margins of the defeat. “It honestly came down to a couple of service games of mine in both sets and I didn’t quite hold,” Gauff said. “I think she was able to hold the line a bit better than I could tonight.”
The men’s semi-finals are on Friday, when eighth-seeded Ben Shelton takes on 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in an all-American clash. Shelton took out defending champion and seven-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz in an epic quarter-final that ended at 3:34 am on Wednesday — the latest finish in tournament history. “Big Ben” and “Big Foe” will duel for a chance to end American men’s 23-year Grand Slam title drought. The winner will take on either top-seeded French Open champion Alexander Zverev or unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov.
© 2024 AFP
