Queens, NY — Elena Rybakina has already secured the world No. 1 ranking. Now, she has a chance to add another Grand Slam championship to her résumé.
Rybakina rallied past Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday night in a fiercely contested U.S. Open semifinal, overcoming an energized Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and several momentum swings to reach the championship match in New York for the first time.
The victory guarantees that Rybakina will take over the top spot in the WTA rankings Monday, regardless of what happens in the final. But the 27-year-old Kazakh has made it clear that rankings are secondary to what ultimately matters most to her: winning major titles.
She now has the opportunity to capture her second Grand Slam of the season.
Rybakina had to work for every bit of it against Gauff, whose speed and defensive ability repeatedly forced the Kazakh to create points outside her preferred patterns. Gauff took the opening set and appeared to have the momentum, but Rybakina steadily regained control.
The second set turned into a battle of composure, with Rybakina finding the consistency she needed on serve while waiting for opportunities to attack. She eventually leveled the match and carried that confidence into the deciding set.
Gauff refused to go quietly.
The 22-year-old American repeatedly extended rallies and pressured Rybakina late in the match, but Rybakina’s serve and ability to deliver in the biggest moments ultimately proved decisive.
Her reward is a showdown Saturday with Aryna Sabalenka, the reigning two-time U.S. Open champion who is attempting to win the tournament for a third consecutive year.
Sabalenka enters the final with plenty to prove after losing the No. 1 ranking she had held for 99 weeks. Rybakina, meanwhile, will have an opportunity to immediately validate her rise to the top by defeating the player who has dominated Flushing Meadows over the past two seasons.
The championship match will be the first No. 1-versus-No. 2 meeting in a women’s Grand Slam final since the 2025 French Open, when Gauff defeated Sabalenka.
Rybakina knows she’ll need another exceptional performance to finish the job.
“I will need to come with all the energy I have, bring my best serve against Aryna, and make the right decisions in the right moment,” Rybakina said. “Because most of the times, it’s a tight, tight score.”
For Gauff, the semifinal loss ended a tournament that nevertheless represented another significant step in her development.
The American returned to the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time since winning the championship in 2023 and did so after making significant changes to her game, particularly with her serve.
A year ago, Gauff struggled badly with her delivery and endured a tournament filled with double faults and difficult stretches. Her decision to overhaul the shot shortly before the 2025 U.S. Open was a major gamble, but working with coach Gavin MacMillan has helped her continue to develop the weapon.
The progress hasn’t been perfectly linear.
Gauff produced 12 double faults in her quarterfinal victory over Mirra Andreeva, yet she was able to regroup and reach the final four in New York.
“I think I played almost every match on my terms,” Gauff said. “I think the worst match for me was maybe the quarterfinal, where I maybe fell back into some old habits, but in 24 hours I was able to switch that.”
Gauff also emphasized that her perspective has changed as she has matured.
Rather than dwelling on Thursday’s defeat, she pointed toward the future and the work still ahead.
“I’m just trying to think of how much work I put into the year, how far I’ve come, and now I’m just excited to keep putting the work in for another year, another two years, and see where I’m at at 24, 25 and where my game can take me,” Gauff said.
“Hopefully it will be on the winning end of matches like this.”
On Thursday, however, the difference was Rybakina’s serve.
One of the most dangerous servers in women’s tennis, Rybakina consistently put herself in position to dictate points by protecting her service games. That allowed her to withstand Gauff’s athleticism and come through with the biggest shots when the match tightened.
Gauff’s run may have ended in the semifinals, but Rybakina’s journey continues with a championship and the No. 1 ranking waiting at the other end.
Saturday will determine which achievement matters most to her.
