Rybakina denies Gauff to set up blockbuster US Open final with Sabalenka

Incoming new world No 1 Elena Rybakina silences Coco Gauff and the New York crowd to set up a blockbuster final against defending two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka; watch the US Open live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app

American hearts were broken as Elena Rybakina silenced Coco Gauff and the New York crowd to set up a blockbuster US Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Jessica Pegula to move a win away from her third straight title at Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina battled back to upset home favourite Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4 in a fierce semi-final showdown to secure a ​title showdown with defending champion Sabalenka and stay ​on course for a ‌third Grand Slam crown.

Sabalenka had beaten Gauff's American compatriot Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 ‌earlier in the night to close in on a ​rare three-peat in New York.

"Of course there were nerves," admitted Rybakina in her on-court interview. "Coco is a great player. It's always tough to play her. Even if sometimes her first serve doesn't go the second one is so heavy it's difficult to dictate the rallies. I took a deep breath, tried to talk positive with myself and just told myself I need to fight and try to show good tennis."

Big hugs to @CocoGauff !!! She’s a joy to watch. Always proud. Go USA Tennis!! 🙏🏾💕

Gauff absorbed relentless pressure ​but stayed strong to draw errors from the Kazakh, ​breaking in the sixth ⁠game and taking the ⁠opening set in front of a passionate crowd ‌that included former first lady Michelle Obama.

Rybakina capitalised on some sloppy play ‌by the fourth-seeded American in the second set to level the match.

Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, gained control ​with her power and broke ​to go 5-3 ahead in ​the decider. Gauff hit back ⁠with a break of her own but her comeback bid faltered ⁠when she could not ​hold serve, as Rybakina broke ​to close out the win.

Gauff said: "My ⁠dad came up to me and was like, you accomplished so many great things this summer, and I'm like, I don't care about ⁠the summer," she said.

"But, I mean, ​it's the goal. I want to be a consistent player. ​I want to give myself as many opportunities to lift a trophy. But, yeah, it hurts.

"It's definitely a learning experience, and I hope to continue to keep putting myself in positions to hopefully win."

Top seed Sabalenka relied on her usual power to chip away at ​Pegula, sending over ⁠29 winners and ⁠seven aces before closing it out with ‌an unreturnable shot deep in the American's territory.

Third-seeded ‌Pegula, runner-up in 2024, started the match with a poised performance but eventually succumbed to ⁠the Belarusian's power, as ​a bevy of costly ​mistakes in the ​second set undermined her best ⁠efforts.