US Open: Elena Rybakina defeated Coco Gauff, silenced the crowd in New York and staged a blockbuster final with Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina silenced Coco Gauff and the New York crowd to set up a stunning US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Jessica Pegula to move away from winning her third straight title at Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina fought back, upsetting home favorite Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4 in a fierce semi-final clash to set up a title showdown with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and stay on course for a third Grand Slam crown.

Sabalenka beat Gauff’s American compatriot Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 the night before to move closer to a rare three-peat in New York.

“Of course, there were nerves,” Rybakina admitted in an interview on the court. “Coco is a great player. She’s always hard to play against. Even if sometimes her first serve doesn’t go well, the second serve is so hard that it’s hard to dictate the play. I took a deep breath, tried to talk to myself positively and just told myself that I need to fight and try to play good tennis.”

Gauff withstood relentless pressure but stayed strong to avoid mistakes from the Kazakh, breaking through in the sixth game to win the first set in front of a passionate crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama.

Rybakina took advantage of some sloppy play from the fourth-ranked American in the second set to level the score.

Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, took control of her strength and raced to a 5-3 lead in the decider. Gauff hit back with a break of her own, but her bid for a comeback failed when she was unable to hold serve as Rybakina broke through to seal the win.

“It was a very close third set. I feel like I got a little lucky with my serve,” added Rybakina, the 27-year-old former Wimbledon champion.

“A couple of deep counters, one mistake from her, things quickly went my way. I know you guys wanted Coco to win. I think it was quite a battle.

Sabalenko retained his bid for three peat bogs

Top seed Sabalenka relied on her usual strength to beat Pegula, posting more than 29 winners and seven aces before ending the game with a no-return shot deep into American territory.

Pegula, the 2024 third-seeded and 2024 runner-up, started the match with a strong performance but ultimately succumbed to the Belarusian’s strength as a series of costly errors in the second set undermined her best effort.

“I was so desperate to win, I really wanted it,” Sabalenka said.

Pegula started almost flawlessly, saving an early break point with a fine forehand winner, while Sabalenka struggled to contain her frustration, slamming her racquet into the court after a double fault in the ninth game.

Pegula held her serve in the ⁠10th, but the defending champion soon found success, breaking her opponent from the baseline to set point.

She again used her best weapon to her advantage to go up 3-1 in the second set, hitting a forehand winner from the baseline on break point as Pegula struggled to find her early brilliance before Sabalenka broke her again on match point.

“I can say that I feel confident and I feel very strong mentally and physically right now,” said Sabalenka, who earned the respect of fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium, whose crowd included former first lady Michelle Obama.

Pegula admitted: “I think this is probably the best match she has played this year. I thought her level was insanely high.

“To be honest, I’m not that upset because I don’t think I could have done much today.”

The US Open will be broadcast on Sky Sports from 30 August. Stream tennis without a contract NOW and the Sky Sports app. You can also watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25 to 27 September live on Sky Sports.