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Elena Rybakina fought back from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and reach her maiden US Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, setting up a title clash with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
The 27-year-old Rybakina, who had never previously reached the championship match at Flushing Meadows, recovered from losing the opening set to produce a composed comeback and seal victory in two hours and eight minutes, according to the WTA website. In front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, which included former First Lady Michelle Obama, Gauff made the stronger start and secured the only break of the opening set to move 4-2 ahead. The American held her advantage to close out the first set 6-3 and put Rybakina under early pressure. The Kazakh responded strongly at the start of the second set, breaking Gauff to establish a 4-1 lead. Gauff fought her way back into the contest, winning three consecutive games to level the set at 4-4. Rybakina, however, regained her composure at the crucial stage. She broke Gauff in the 10th game and served out the set 6-4 to force a decider. The third set remained tightly contested, with both players trading games as the match entered its decisive phase. Rybakina missed two break-point opportunities in the sixth game, but she made the most of her next chance in the eighth game, breaking Gauff to take a 5-3 lead and move within one game of the final. Gauff refused to go quietly. A brilliant backhand passing shot helped her earn her first break point of the deciding set, and she converted the opportunity to level the set and put the match back on serve. Rybakina responded immediately, breaking Gauff once again before serving out the match to complete the 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory. The win also gave Rybakina a chance to avenge her defeat to Sabalenka in their previous Grand Slam final meeting at the 2026 Australian Open. Sabalenka had earlier booked her place in the final by defeating third seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2, extending her US Open winning streak to 20 matches and reaching her third consecutive final in New York. Sunday's championship match will be the 18th career meeting between Rybakina and Sabalenka, with the Belarusian holding a 10-7 advantage in their head-to-head record. Their most recent encounter came in the Miami semifinals earlier this season. The final will also mark only the second time since 1988 that the same two players have met in both the Australian Open and US Open finals in the same season. The previous instance came in 1994, when Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario contested both Grand Slam finals. Rybakina will now bid for her first US Open title against the two-time defending champion and current world No. 1 Sabalenka in Sunday's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. (ANI)
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