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NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka is a step closer to a rare three-peat at the US Open, reaching her fourth straight final by beating American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.The top-seeded Sabalenka is attempting to win a third straight championship at Flushing Meadows, something that hasn’t been done since Serena Williams in 2014."I was so desperate to the win. I wanted it badly and I was just trying to focus on myself," Sabalenka said after her straight-set victory. "I'm super happy that I was able to play such (great) tennis in front of you all."Sabalenka is the first female or male player in the Open Era to reach eight consecutive Grand Slam finals on a hard court surface. Sabalenka, who will lose her No. 1 ranking despite the win, will play the winner of the other semifinal matchup later Thursday night between No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff.Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live scores, key moments, highlights and results from both women's semifinals.US Open women's semifinal resultsUnderwayCoco Gauff60Elena Rybakina31.CompletedAryna Sabalenka76Jessica Pegula52Coco Gauff takes first set, 6-3What a difference a day makes. One day after serving and forehand woes nearly dismantled Gauff's US Open title bid, the American came out red-hot and is in the driver's seat against Rybakina. Gauff easily held serve to take the first set, 6-3.Gauff had four aces in the first set and never faced a break point. Gauff won 73% of the first serves and 85% of the second serves. Gauff is 18-0 when winning the first set at the US Open.Coco Gauff hits 123 mph aceCoco Gauff consolidated the break by holding serve in convincing fashion. Gauff even delivered an 123 mph ace, the fastest of the day, according to the ESPN broadcast. Gauff has a 5-2 lead in the first set and Rybakina is now serving to stay in the set.Coco Gauff breaks Elena RybakinaGauff has the first break of the match to take a 4-2 lead over Rybakina.Coco Gauff holds serve vs. Elena RybakinaCoco Gauff's third service game was a roller coaster. She hit a double-fault to bring the score back to deuce, but she responded with her third ace of the match to give her an advantage. She used another ace to hold the set to improve to 3-2 in the first set.Elena Rybakina saves break pointCoco Gauff had an early opportunity to break Elena Rybakina, but a forehead error squandered her chances. Rybakina went on to save the break point to level the set 1-1.Coco Gauff vs. Elena Rybakina underwayWe're off and running at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Coco Gauff opened on serve and held to take a 1-0 lead in the first set.Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina take courtAryna Sabalenka defeats Jessica Pegula in straight setsNEW YORK — Sabalenka defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to advance to the US Open final. Sabalenka, who has won 19 matches in a row in New York, is the first woman to reach four straight US Open finals since Serena Williams (2011-14).Sabalenka has had struggles at times throughout the tournament, and Thursday night was no exception. She used a powerful serve to score seven aces, but a forceful forehand caused some errors, leading to Sabalenka dropping her racket in frustration in one instance and waving off her coaching team in another.The first set was a battle of wills, as neither player yielded a single break point opportunity through the first eight games, and there was only one break point won in the entire first set.But the 28-year-old four-time Grand Slam champion poured it on in the second set, breaking Pegula in the fourth game with a thunderous forehand winner down the baseline. Sabalenka finished with 29 winners and dominated Pegula's second serve, and arguably the final stretch of the match was her best of the tournament, showing why her dominance on the hard court will be tough to deal with, no matter who she opposes in the final.Sabalenka then ended the 1-hour and 20-minute match by breaking Pegula again, when the Buffalo native’s forehand fell weakly into the net.Jessica Pegula serving to stay in matchPegula must hold serve to extend the match as she trails 2-5 in the second set.Aryna Sabalenka closing in on straight-set winSabalenka held serve to improve to 5-2 in the second set. She's one game away from making her fourth consecutive US Open finals appearance.Aryna Sabalenka breaks Pegula, up 3-1 in second setAryna Sabalenka has been feasting on Jesica Pegula’s second serve and the American quickly found herself in trouble early in the second set. Pegula fought off three break points, but Sabalenka converted on the fourth break point with a 91 mph return of Pegula’s serve. Sabalenka has a 3-1 lead in the second set. Jessica Pegula's coach comments on first setMark Knowles, one of Jessica Pegula's coaches, said the American played "a terrific set" to open the semifinal and came up just short."(That's) probably the best set of tennis that Aryna's played all year, but you got to expect that, right? She's going for a three-peat," Knowles said. "(Sabalenka's) the champ and you got to play your best, maybe a little bit of change of pace. I mean, it's hard because Jess (Pegula) is hitting the ball so well, but obviously Aryna's timing the ball as well, very well. So got to make subtle adjustments, maybe try to change the speed a little bit."Aryna Sabalenka dominates when she takes first setAryna Sabalenka is 32-3 when winning the first set at the US Open.Aryna Sabalenka takes first set, 7-5One break of serve was all Aryna Sabalenka needed to take the first set over Jessica Pegula in Thursday's US Open women's semifinal. Pegula had the opportunity to force a tiebreaker, but Sabalenka took a 40-0 lead to set up triple set point. Pegula saved one set point, but Sabalenka was able to convert on the second break point with a deep rally that touched the baseline. The first set took 43 minutes.Aryna Sabalenka drops racket in frustrationAryna Sabalenka is letting her emotions show early. After hitting an unforced error into the net, Sablenka let go of her racket in frustration as Pegula leveled the set 5-5.Aryna Sabalenka saves break pointAryna Sabalenka double-faulted at 40-40, giving Jessica Pegula her first break point of the night. Sabalenka staved off the break point with a brilliant winner down the line and went on to hold serve on an ace. Sabalenka has a 5-4 lead over Pegula in the first set. Both players have been solid on serve and haven't dropped a service game so far.Jessica Pegula fights off break pointPegula was facing a break point early in the first set, but she fought it off to hold serve and level the set 2-2.Michelle Obama is in attendanceThe star-studded crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium includes former First Lady Michelle Obama. She received a thunderous applause from the crowd when shown on the Jumbotron.Sabalenka vs. Pegula underwayWe're off and running at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Aryna Sabalenka opened on serve and she's clicking early. She easily held serve to take a 1-0 lead in the first set.How to watch US Open women's semifinalsDate: Thursday, Sept. 10Time: First match starts at 7 p.m. ETTV: ESPNStreaming : ESPN Unlimited, FuboStream the 2026 US Open on FuboUS Open women's semifinal schedule ThursdayTimes are subject to change.No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka vs. No. 3 Jessica Pegula, 7 p.m. ETNo. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 4 Coco Gauff, 8:30 p.m. ETUS Open weatherIt's 83 degrees at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, the perfect evening to have the roof open.Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka take courtUS Open predictions for women's semifinalsCheck out our experts' complete predictions.Scooby Axson: Jessica Pegula over Aryna Sabalenka; Elena Rybakina over Coco GauffDanielle Lerner: Jessica Pegula over Aryna Sabalenka; Coco Gauff over Elena RybakinaCydney Henderson: Aryna Sabalenka over Jessica Pegula; Elena Rybakina over Coco GauffTotal time on court during US OpenAryna Sabalenka: 7 hours, 27 minutesJessica Pegula: 8 hours, 16 minutes2026 US Open champion payout, prize moneyBoth the men's and women's singles champions will earn nearly $5.5 million for winning the US Open, up from $5 million in 2025. The runner-up will pocket $2.8 million.Elena Rybakina will be the new World No. 1Elena Rybakina will be the new World No. 1 player in the WTA rankings at the end of the US Open, no matter what happens. Rybakina will reach the highest ranking of her career after reaching the semifinal round, snapping Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week streak at the top."Anything is possible when you believe. Proud to represent Kazakhstan and make history as the country’s first world number 1," Rybakina wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.For Rybakina, however, it's business as usual. Although she said it "means a lot" to be World No. 1, she admitted that she doesn't think about her ranking often. "It is a great achievement but I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career. Right now you need to keep on going," she added.Jessica Pegula visualizes winning at 'favorite place to play'American tennis star Jessica Pegula has dreamed about what it would be like to win the first Grand Slam of her career. She said achieving that milestone at the US Open, her favorite of the four slams, would be even sweeter."My goal is to win the tournament," Pegula told USA TODAY Sports ahead of the 2026 US Open. "It is my favorite place to play just purely because I am an American and I'm from New York State, and I do think people get behind me and encourage me a lot more than maybe even some other Americans."Pegula has experienced both triumph and heartbreak in Queens, New York. She advanced to the first and only Grand Slam final of her career at the 2024 US Open, but ultimately lost to Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. "I do feel like it adds a little bit more pressure," Pegula added. Read Cydney Henderson's full story here.Jessica Pegula explains what it would mean to win her first Grand SlamPro tennis player, Jessica Pegula, explains why winning the US Open would be top of her wish list of Grand Slams.Josh Allen congratulates Jessica PegulaBuffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took a moment during a press conference to shout out Jessica Pegula's US Open semifinal run. Pegula's parents Terry and Kim Pegula own the Buffalo Bills."We'll be cheering her on," Allen said on Wednesday. "I'm excited to watch her."Coco Gauff applauds diversity in men's semifinal matchupCoco Gauff marveled at the US Open men's semifinal matchup between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, an All-American showdown on Friday, Sept. 11, that'll feature two Black men. Arthur Ashe was the first and only Black American man to win the US Open singles title in 1968."I never thought I would be able to have the chance to see an all-Black semifinal between the guys in my lifetime," Gauff said Wednesday. "And to have also me in the semis, I think it's really cool. And obviously I have so much respect for both Ben (Shelton) and Frances (Tiafoe), so I'm just rooting for a good match and hopefully whoever wins can bring it home."Who is favored to win US Open women's semifinals?Betting odds are courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Sept. 10 at 2:30 p.m. ETAryna Sabalenka -190; Jessica Pegula +154Coco Gauff -105; Elena Rybakina -118Pegula vs Sabalenka head-to-headAryna Sabalenka leads the all-time series against Jessica Pegula, 9-4, with a 6-3 advantage on hard court. Pegula won their last matchup, which came in three sets at the Berlin Open in June. Thursday's match will mark Sabalenka’s sixth straight US Open semifinal appearance. Sabalenka is 6-2 so far this season against Top 10 opponents this year, while Pegula has a 7-6 record vs. Top 10 players.Gauff vs Rybakina head-to-headCoco Gauff and Elena Rybakina have each won one match against each other. Rybakina was victorious in their most recent clash, beating Gauff in three sets in the Toronto semifinals in August.US Open women semifinal previewThe US Open women's singles draw is down to its final four. And a formidable one at that.For the first time since 2009, the top four seeds in a women's Grand Slam tournament will all be in the semifinals. That year, No. 1 Dinara Safina, No. 2 Serena Williams, No. 3 Venus WIlliams and No. 4 Elena Dementieva went to the final four at Wimbledon, with Serena prevailing over Venus.Fast forward 17 years later to New York, where top-seeded defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will open semifinal day against Jessica Pegula, while 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff faces Elena Rybakina in the second match. By the end of Thursday, the championship matchup will be set.US Open men's semifinal schedule FridayTimes are subject to change.No. 1 Alexander Zverev vs. Karen Khachanov, 3 p.m. ETNo. 8 Ben Shelton vs. No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, 7 p.m. ETUS Open predictions for men's semifinalsCheck out our expert's complete predictions.Scooby Axson: Ben Shelton over Frances Tiafoe; Alexander Zverev over Karen KhachanovDanielle Lerner: Ben Shelton over Frances Tiafoe; Alexander Zverev over Karen KhachanovCydney Henderson: Ben Shelton over Frances Tiafoe; Alexander Zverev over Karen KhachanovThe USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
