US Open: Rybakina silences Gauff, New York crowd to set up Sabalenka final
By Adegboyega Adeleye
Elena Rybakina silenced Coco Gauff and the New York crowd to reach the US Open final after battling back to beat the American 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling semi-final.
According to Sky Sports, the incoming world No. 1 will face defending two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final after the Belarusian defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 earlier in the night.
Rybakina, who had already secured the world No. 1 ranking, recovered from losing the opening set to produce a powerful response against home favourite Gauff.
Gauff made the stronger start, breaking in the sixth game before taking the first set in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But Rybakina raised her level in the second set, capitalising on Gauff’s errors to level the contest and force a decider.
The Kazakh then broke to move 5-3 ahead in the final set, only for Gauff to immediately fight back and reduce the deficit.
However, Rybakina regained control and broke Gauff again before serving out the match to silence the home crowd and book her place in the final.
“Of course there were nerves,” Rybakina said.
“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.”
Rybakina added that she knew the crowd wanted Gauff to win but remained focused on finding a way through.
“I know you guys wanted Coco to win. I think it was really a battle. A few moments went my way. In the end I was just trying to be focused and stay aggressive and somehow won the match,” she said.
For Gauff, the defeat ended her hopes of reaching another US Open final on home soil.
“Right now, it sucks,” Gauff said.
“I don’t care about the summer. 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.”
Sabalenka had earlier defeated Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to move one victory away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to win the US Open three consecutive times.
Rybakina will now face Sabalenka in the final, with their head-to-head record standing at 10-7 in favour of the Belarusian, although Rybakina leads 4-2 in their previous finals.
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