Elena Rybakina Plays Aryna Sabalenka in Battle of the Giants
US Open
September 11, 2026
Elena Rybakina defeated Coco Gauff to set up a showdown between the two greatest players in the world.
The enigmatic Kazakh will face Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open showpiece – a repeat of the final at the Australian Open.
The former Wimbledon champion remains as calm when a set down as she is in victory.
And for that reason, you just knew the nerveless Rybakina was still favourite, even when she lost the first set to a feisty Coco.
Elena seems to lose first sets in big matches almost as a matter of routine. Still her quality often prevails as she turns the tide.
This was the way it unfolded as the new world number one triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. And that earned her the right to play the number one she is deposing.
Coco so wanted it to be her facing Sabalenka on Saturday. But the rankings didn’t lie in these US Open women’s semi-finals.
Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff may get to fight it out all over again at Wimbledon 2027 next summer. What a treat that would be!
For now, Coco was left reflecting on small margins. She said: ‘I thought it was a good match. It honestly came down to a couple of service games of mine in both sets and I didn’t quite hold.’
And for the other American woman in the semi-finals, it was a similar story of a good hard fight but ultimate disappointment.
Jessica Pegula competed well for the first set against the powerful Sabalenka. But in the end she couldn’t match Aryna’s hunger and intensity.
The reigning champion, out to make it a hat-trick of titles at Flushing Meadows, won through 7-5, 6-2. Now she’ll want revenge over Elena for that Melbourne reverse.
Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will all be stars of the classy grass-court show at Wimbledon 2027.
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