US Open Report on Sept. 11: No. 4 Seed Gauff Falls 1-2, Sabalenka Advances, Rybakina’s Final Opponent Set

In the eighth game of the deciding set, Rybakina broke serve for a 5-3 lead. Gauff broke back in the ninth game, but was broken again in the 10th. The score ended 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, bringing Gauff’s US Open semifinal run to an end.

The semifinal concluded on the morning of Sept. 11 Beijing time. Rybakina dropped the opening set, then won the next two sets 6-4. She became the first Kazakh player to reach the US Open women’s singles final and the fourth Grand Slam final of her career.

A week earlier, she was still competing in the quarterfinals. On Sept. 9 against Zheng Qinwen, Rybakina recovered from a 3-6 first set to win 6-1, 6-4. With that victory, she secured the upcoming WTA world No. 1 ranking and will officially replace Sabalenka after the Sept. 14 update, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign.

She became the 30th women’s singles world No. 1 in WTA history and the first player from Kazakhstan to reach that position. Her previous best US Open result was only the round of 16, but this time she advanced from the quarterfinals and semifinals into the final.

Against Gauff in the first set, Rybakina was not stable enough with her first serve or baseline play, and Gauff controlled the rhythm after breaking in the middle stages. In the second set, Rybakina increased her serve pace, held to love in the seventh game and made the key break in the eighth. Gauff broke back in the ninth to put pressure back on her.

Rybakina did not give Gauff another chance in the 10th game, using aggressive returns and forehand changes of direction to break and close the set 6-4. Overall, her first-serve percentage and execution on key points improved noticeably in the final two sets compared with the opening set.

Gauff’s loss was not unexpected. She won the US Open in 2023 and added another title at the French Open in 2025. Before the semifinal, she had rallied past Andreeva 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals, showing strong form.

Gauff and Rybakina had split their two previous WTA 1000 meetings in Toronto; Rybakina won their semifinal there this year in three sets. In their US Open rematch, Gauff won the first set before losing, with break-point conversion and second-set return performance being key differences.

The other semifinal ended earlier. Sabalenka defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-2. The first set stayed level at 5-5 before Sabalenka broke in the 12th game; she broke twice in the second set to close it out 6-2.

Sabalenka recorded seven aces and 29 winners, while Pegula had only 12 winners. Sabalenka won about 76% of first-serve points and converted three break points; Pegula won only 26% of second-serve points and converted no break points.

This is Sabalenka’s fourth consecutive US Open final, extending her US Open winning streak to 19 matches and marking the ninth Grand Slam final of her career. If she wins the title, she would become the first women’s singles player since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014 to win three straight US Open titles.

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Her hard-court Grand Slam consistency has been strong this season: she lost to Rybakina in the Australian Open final, reached the French Open quarterfinals, the Wimbledon fourth round, and returned to the final at the US Open. Reaching finals at eight consecutive hard-court Grand Slam events is a first in the Open Era for both men and women.

The final matchup is set: Sabalenka versus Rybakina. It will be their 18th meeting, with Rybakina trailing 7-10 in the head-to-head record. They have split their hard-court meetings, with Rybakina winning this year’s Australian Open final in three sets while Sabalenka has also collected wins at other hard-court events.

Rybakina arrived in New York after dealing with an injury that affected her training in the week before the tournament. She said walking had even been painful, but she did not drop a set in her first four matches, defeated Osaka 6-1, 6-4 in the fourth round, rallied past Zheng Qinwen in the quarterfinals, and then came back again against Gauff in the semifinal.

Her serve has always been her key weapon. WTA statistics show she has hit more than 350 aces in the 2026 season, leading the tour. Against Gauff, she used inside serves to attack Gauff’s backhand in the final two sets, then followed with net approaches and wide forehands. Her breaks were limited but came at crucial moments.

Sabalenka follows a different route. She does not rely only on serve dominance, instead using powerful baseline play and aggressive changes of direction. Against Pegula, she stayed patient in the first set and accelerated after breaking in the second. Pegula tried to extend rallies with slices and changes of pace, but her second serve was repeatedly attacked.

Another background story of this semifinal lineup: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff were the tournament’s top four seeds. The last time the US Open women’s singles semifinals featured all four top seeds was in 1975, a gap of 51 years.

This does not mean women’s tennis has become predictable. Since 2020, 13 different women have won Grand Slam titles, and uncertainty remains high. This tournament simply saw the top four avoid early exits, while the semifinals displayed clear tactical differences: Sabalenka’s power, Rybakina’s serve, Gauff’s movement and Pegula’s rhythm control.

After Pegula’s exit, she has been stopped by Sabalenka at the US Open for three straight years: the 2024 final, 2025 semifinal and 2026 semifinal. At 32, she has reached the quarterfinals or better at seven of her 10 Grand Slam and WTA 1000 events this season, but still has no Grand Slam title. Her issue is not consistency, but handling elite power players on second serves and key points.

Gauff’s issue was the opposite. She can defend and move well, and can suddenly increase pace in rallies, but against a resurgent-serving Rybakina, her return preparation after the first set was insufficient. She had several break points in the sixth game but failed to convert, then lost serve in the eighth game, and the deciding set slipped away.

Rybakina’s path at this US Open has been clear: control the match with her serve, use the serve to reset when behind, and then open the court with powerful forehands. Against Zheng, she lost the first set 6-3 before winning 6-1, 6-4; against Gauff, she lost the first set 6-3 before taking the next two 6-4, 6-4. In both matches, she adjusted after being under pressure.

She won her first title at Wimbledon in 2022, claimed her second Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open, and won the WTA Finals in 2025. Nine months earlier, she trailed Sabalenka by a large ranking points gap, but climbed to No. 2 through results at the Australian Open, Stuttgart and North American hard-court events before securing No. 1 with her US Open semifinal run.

Although Sabalenka will surrender the world No. 1 ranking, she still has the initiative for a third straight US Open title. Her hard-court rivalry with Rybakina continues from the Australian Open final to New York, with other meetings coming at events such as Indian Wells, Miami and Toronto. The final may come down to whose second serve is steadier and who earns the first break.

Before the tournament, Rybakina called No. 1 a “number” and focused on winning a third Grand Slam title. Sabalenka is not discussing reclaiming No. 1, but is focused on her US Open winning streak and final experience. Both have major achievements; the difference may come from the third shot after the serve, break-point conversion and physical management in long rallies.

Gauff and Pegula were both close to reaching the final. Gauff fell short in a key deciding-set game, while Pegula struggled with her second serve. The top four seeds reaching the semifinals is only the surface story; the real differences came from serve quality, the first step on returns and aggression on break points.