Overview
- Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to beat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Thursday to reach the US Open final and, by advancing, secured the WTA world No. 1 ranking.
- Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the other semifinal to set a rematch of the 2026 Australian Open final and to chase a third consecutive US Open title.
- Sabalenka acknowledged losing the No. 1 spot to Rybakina in post-match comments and cannot regain the ranking by winning the US Open this weekend.
- Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula each earned 780 Grand Slam semifinal points and $1,450,000 in prize money, with live WTA points placing Rybakina first and Sabalenka second as the tour moves toward the Asian swing.
- Reports that Sabalenka has reached eight straight hard‑court Grand Slam finals have circulated but are not independently verified in the coverage and should be checked against official records.