In the long arc of tennis greatness, Thursday's US Open semifinals offered a study in momentum and mastery. Elena Rybakina dismantled Coco Gauff's 11-match winning streak in three hard-fought sets, while Aryna Sabalenka moved with quiet inevitability past Jessica Pegula, placing herself one victory away from joining a very short list of women who have claimed three consecutive US Open titles. What remains is a final between two players who represent different kinds of excellence — one ascending on the strength of a remarkable season, the other pressing toward history that has not been made in
Rybakina Stuns Gauff; Sabalenka Eyes Historic US Open Three-Peat
Rhythm is everything—and once you lose it, getting it back is nearly impossible.
Mark
So Gauff had won eleven straight matches coming in. What happened to that momentum?
Mimi
She played well early—really well. Her defense was so tight in the first set that Rybakina made 18 unforced errors. But Rybakina adjusted. That's what separates the elite players. She found her serve, placed it better, and Gauff's forehand started to fail her in the third set.
Luke
Eighteen errors in one set is a lot. But we should note that's Rybakina's errors, not Gauff's mistakes. Gauff was actually executing her game plan early. She just couldn't sustain it.
Mark
And Sabalenka—she's one win away from three straight US Opens. How rare is that?
Mimi
Only two women in the Open Era have done it. So if she wins on Saturday, she joins a very small club. And she looked dominant against Pegula—straight sets, and she's now in her eighth consecutive hard-court Grand Slam final.
Luke
That's an extraordinary streak. Though I'd note the source doesn't tell us much about Pegula's performance or whether she was injured or off her game. We know Sabalenka was strong, but the full picture of that match is a bit thin.
Mark
What does Rybakina's win tell us about her season?
Mimi
That it's been remarkable. She's now in a Grand Slam final at a major tournament. The source calls it a "remarkable 2026 season," and beating Gauff in a three-set match like that—coming back after losing the first set—shows she has the resilience to win at this level.
Luke
True, though we don't have much detail about Rybakina's overall season record or ranking trajectory. We know she's No. 2 seed here, but the broader context of her year isn't really in the reporting.
The Pulse
- Gauff's 11-match winning streak, and her dream of a second US Open title, collapsed in three sets as Rybakina found her precision just when it mattered most.
- The first set belonged to Gauff's suffocating defense, but Rybakina's adjustments in the second set shifted the match's center of gravity in ways Gauff could never fully reverse.
- A nearly seven-minute hold of serve in the third set showed Gauff's fight, but Rybakina broke through twice in the final games to seal the win and end the American's run.
- Sabalenka was a different kind of force entirely — clinical and relentless against Pegula, winning 7-5, 6-2 to reach her eighth consecutive hard-court Grand Slam final.
- The stage is now set for a final that carries genuine historical weight: Sabalenka chasing a feat no woman has achieved since the 1980s, Rybakina riding the momentum of her best season.
In the long arc of tennis greatness, Thursday's US Open semifinals offered a study in momentum and mastery. Elena Rybakina dismantled Coco Gauff's 11-match winning streak in three hard-fought sets, while Aryna Sabalenka moved with quiet inevitability past Jessica Pegula, placing herself one victory away from joining a very short list of women who have claimed three consecutive US Open titles. What remains is a final between two players who represent different kinds of excellence — one ascending on the strength of a remarkable season, the other pressing toward history that has not been made in four decades.
Coco Gauff's run at a second US Open title ended Thursday when Elena Rybakina outdueled her in a three-set semifinal, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, snapping an 11-match winning streak that had carried the American deep into the tournament.
Gauff was sharp early, her defense forcing Rybakina into 18 unforced errors and claiming the first set 6-3. But Rybakina steadied herself, found her serve, and began placing shots with surgical precision. She broke Gauff twice in the second set to level the match. The third set became a story of momentum slipping away. Gauff's forehand wavered, and though she survived a grueling seven-minute service game at 3-2 down — saving two break points — Rybakina broke at 5-3. Gauff broke back immediately to make it 5-4, but Rybakina broke again to close it out. Against a player of her caliber, losing rhythm is rarely something you recover from.
On the other side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka was dominant. She dispatched Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2, the second set barely a contest as Sabalenka relentlessly attacked Pegula's second serve. The win extended her streak to eight consecutive hard-court Grand Slam finals — and placed her one match away from three straight US Open titles, a feat no woman has accomplished since the 1980s.
The final is set: Rybakina, in the form of her career, against Sabalenka, chasing history. One will lift the trophy. The other will leave knowing she came close to something larger than herself.
The American's run ended in the semifinals on Thursday. Coco Gauff, chasing a second US Open title, ran into Elena Rybakina and lost the match she needed to win—3-6, 6-4, 6-4—snapping an 11-match winning streak that had carried her this far into the tournament.
Gauff came out sharp. Her defense was suffocating in the first set, forcing Rybakina into 18 unforced errors and taking the opening frame 6-3. But Rybakina, the No. 2 seed, adjusted. In the second set, she found precision with her serve and began placing her shots with the kind of placement that turns a match. She broke Gauff's serve twice, though Gauff answered once to keep it close before Rybakina took the set 6-4. The third set told the story of momentum shifting irreversibly. Gauff's forehand, which had been a weapon, began to waver. Serving at 3-2 down and facing a love-30 deficit, she fought through a nearly seven-minute game to hold serve and stay alive, saving both break points. But Rybakina would not be denied. She broke through at 5-3, and though Gauff broke back immediately to make it 5-4, Rybakina broke again to close it out. The match was a reminder that in tennis, rhythm is everything—and once you lose it, getting it back against a player of Rybakina's caliber is nearly impossible.
On the other side of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka dispatched Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, and in doing so kept alive something that has not been done by a woman since the 1980s. Sabalenka is now one match away from winning three consecutive US Open titles, a feat that would make her only the third woman in the Open Era to accomplish it. The world No. 1 was dominant. In the first set, both players held serve comfortably until late, when Sabalenka found the break she needed to take it. The second set was not competitive. Sabalenka elevated her game, leaning on her serve-and-one-shot approach and relentlessly attacking Pegula's second serve, which could not withstand the pressure. She advanced to her eighth consecutive hard-court Grand Slam final, a streak that speaks to her mastery of the surface.
So the final is set: Rybakina, extending what has been a remarkable 2026 season, against Sabalenka, chasing history. One of them will lift the trophy. The other will go home knowing they came close to something larger than themselves.
Notable Quotes
Rybakina forced Gauff into 18 unforced errors in the opening set before adjusting her serve placement and rhythm in the second set— Match reporting
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