Sabalenka reaches US Open final, one win from historic three-peat

Aryna Sabalenka is one win from a historic third consecutive US Open title after beating Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in the semi-finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday.

The top-seeded Belarusian cruised to her fourth straight US Open final, extending her Flushing Meadows winning streak to 19 matches. She will meet Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final after the second seed from Kazakhstan beat defending French Open champion Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Sabalenka struck 29 winners and seven aces in the 80-minute win, constantly seeking opportunities to attack Pegula’s second serve, before gaining the upper hand in a close first set.

Third straight US Open semi-finalist Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in 2024, struggled to match her opponent’s power.

“I don’t know who pissed her off today,” said Pegula. “She played insane. She played a super-high level. Honestly, I don’t really know if there was much I could do today.”

A win on Saturday would make Sabalenka just the third woman in the Open Era after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open singles titles.