The US Open reaches a pivotal moment as the tournament’s four highest‑seeded women prepare to meet in the semi‑finals on Thursday, a scenario not seen at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2009. Two‑time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will look to close the gap on a third consecutive New York title when she meets familiar adversary Jessica Pegula, while Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina is slated to challenge home favourite Coco Gauff for a spot in the championship match.
Both encounters will be broadcast live from midnight on Sky Sports Tennis. Sabalenka, who has reached the semi‑final stage at Flushing Meadows for six straight years, now stands just two victories away from matching Serena Williams’ historic three‑peat from 2012‑2014.
The Belarusian entered the semi‑finals without dropping a set, having survived her toughest test of the tournament on Tuesday by edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in a tightly contested match. Her opponent, third‑seed Pegula, is seeking her first Grand Slam crown after falling short in the final the previous year.
The rivalry between Sabalenka and Pegula adds an extra layer of intrigue. Their head‑to‑head record currently sits at 9‑4 in Sabalenka’s favour, yet Pegula has claimed two of the last three meetings, including a dominant 6‑0 third‑set win in the Berlin Open semi‑final earlier this season. "It’s interesting to look back at our rivalry," Pegula said.
"She’s been a constant challenge for me these past few years, and I’ve managed to beat her a few times, albeit on smaller stages. That mental hurdle is what I need to overcome now." Meanwhile, the top spot in the WTA rankings will change hands after Rybakina’s quarter‑final triumph over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng. The Australian Open winner will become the 30th woman to claim the world No.
1 ranking and the first player from Kazakhstan to do so when the new rankings are released following the tournament. Sabalenka, who has held the top ranking since October 2024, remarked that she would gladly exchange it for another US Open trophy.
"I’d be more than happy – a three‑peat sounds fantastic," she said. Rybakina’s semi‑final berth marks her first appearance at this stage of the US Open, and she will face a crowd‑pleasing Gauff, who staged a dramatic comeback against fifth‑seed Mirra Andreeva, a fellow French Open champion.
Gauff saved two match points in the second set before turning the tide and securing her place in the semi‑finals for a second consecutive Slam, following her run to the last four at Wimbledon. The American will have the support of the home crowd as she eyes a second US Open title.
"Elena is playing some great tennis," Gauff praised her opponent. "Congrats to her for becoming the new world No. 1 – that’s incredible. We met in Toronto and it didn’t go my way, but I’ll learn from that.
I know she’ll hit some aces and winners, but I’ll keep fighting and give it my all." Rybakina, on the other hand, is looking to add a third Grand Slam crown to her résumé and to exact a measure of revenge after losing to Gauff in three sets at the Canadian Open semi‑finals a month earlier. "I expect a lot of people to back her, but I just need to stay aggressive," Rybakina explained. "Coming into this tournament injured and with limited practice, I think we’ve come pretty far. Now it’s the final push – I just have to enjoy it and hope it goes my way." The two Kazakh‑American rivals are tied 1‑1 in their previous encounters, setting up a compelling battle for a place in Saturday’s final.
The US Open continues to be streamed live on Sky Sports from August 30, with additional viewing options available via the NOW platform and the Sky Sports app. Fans can also catch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also broadcast on Sky Sports. This semi‑final lineup underscores a rare convergence of talent: all four top seeds – Sabalenka, Rybakina, Gauff, and Pegula – have advanced to the last four, a feat accomplished only once before at the US Open in 1975 and last seen at any Grand Slam in 2009. The matches promise high‑stakes tennis, historic milestones, and the potential for new legends to emerge as the tournament heads toward its climactic finale.