US Open Women's Final Set: Sabalenka to Face Rybakina

On the morning of September 11, the second US Open women's semifinal reached the 10th game of the deciding set. Coco Gauff failed to hold serve, and Elena Rybakina won the final point to take the game 6-4.

The match score was 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, with Rybakina recovering after losing the first set. It was her first US Open women's final and her fourth Grand Slam final appearance.

The result ended Gauff's 11-match winning streak and ended the US Open women's singles streak of having a home player reach the final for three straight years.

Pre-match predictions were overturned. Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff formed the semifinals, marking the first time since 1975 that the top four seeds reached the US Open semifinals.

The final matchup is set: No. 1 seed Sabalenka against No. 2 seed Rybakina.

Sabalenka defeated No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal, finishing in about 80 minutes.

The first set stayed on serve through 5-5 before Sabalenka broke in the 12th game to win 7-5. She hit 17 winners and four aces in the set.

In the second set, Sabalenka broke twice to win 6-2. It was their 14th career meeting, with Sabalenka improving the record to 10-4.

The victory gave Sabalenka a 19-match US Open winning streak and a fourth consecutive US Open final appearance, a feat last achieved by Serena Williams from 2011 to 2014.

Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, reached world No. 1 status after defeating Zheng Qinwen in the previous round. Gauff, the No. 4 seed, returned to the US Open semifinals after beating Mirra Andreeva.

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Both players own two Grand Slam titles: Rybakina won Wimbledon 2022 and Australian Open 2026, while Gauff won US Open 2023 and French Open 2025.

Gauff started quickly and broke in the sixth game to take the first set 6-3. She won it by limiting unforced errors.

Rybakina broke in the fourth game of the second set and led 3-1. Gauff leveled the score, but Rybakina won the set 6-4.

The deciding set stayed close through eight games. Rybakina broke to lead 5-3, but Gauff broke back to make it 4-5.

Rybakina closed out the match in the 10th game, winning 6-4 and earning her second comeback win over a top-10 player at a Grand Slam.

After the semifinals, the US Open women's field showed great depth, with the top four seeds reaching the semifinals for the first time since 1975 and the highest-ranked players reaching the final.

The importance of the final is also reflected in their head-to-head record.

Before the final, Sabalenka and Rybakina had played 17 times, with Sabalenka leading 10-7. Their hard-court record was tied at 7-7.

However, in tournament finals they met six times, with Rybakina winning four and Sabalenka winning two.

In Grand Slam finals, they each have one victory. Sabalenka won the 2023 Australian Open final, while Rybakina won the 2026 Australian Open final.

At the 2025 WTA Finals, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in straight sets. The winners of the two biggest finals of this season were both Rybakina.

Sabalenka has reached two Grand Slam finals this year and nine in her career. She reached eight consecutive hard-court Grand Slam finals, a record in the Open Era.

At the US Open, Sabalenka has reached at least the semifinals for six straight years from 2021, matching Williams' record from 2011 to 2016.

Sabalenka's Grand Slam final record is 4-4, with all four losses coming in deciding sets.

Rybakina's route: wins over Frotdin, Bassols Ribera, Starodubtseva, Naomi Osaka, Zheng Qinwen and Gauff.

Sabalenka's route: wins over Osorio, Yatsynko, Rakhimova, Townsend, Noskova and Pegula.

Sabalenka is chasing a third straight US Open title. Only Evert and Serena Williams achieved a women's US Open three-peat in the Open Era. If Rybakina wins, she will become the sixth woman since 1988 to win both hard-court majors in the same year.

The year's two hard-court Grand Slam finals have produced the same matchup: Sabalenka versus Rybakina at the Australian Open and again at the US Open.

The women's champion will receive $5.5 million and the runner-up $2.8 million. The final starts at Arthur Ashe Stadium at 4 p.m. local time on September 12, or 4 a.m. Beijing time on September 13.

Their last Grand Slam final meeting was on January 31 in Melbourne. The match lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes, with both players scoring 92 total points.

The US Open final will be their 18th career meeting. Sabalenka won 10 of the previous 17 encounters, while Rybakina won seven.