What's happened
Aryna Sabalenka has defeated Jessica Pegula to reach the US Open semifinals, where she will face either Elena Rybakina or Coco Gauff. Rybakina is set to become world No. 1 next week, and Sabalenka has won 19 straight US Open matches. The semifinal outcome will determine potential three-peat success.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Sabalenka has shown dominance on serve, converting pressure points with 29 winners to Pegula’s 12 in the match.
- The outcome hinges on Sabalenka maintaining aggressive baseline play against the likely tougher challenge from either Rybakina or Gauff.
- Rybakina’s ascent to World No. 1 adds strategic pressure on Sabalenka to defend ranking while chasing a potential three-peat.
- The match-up dynamics suggest Sabalenka’s consistency at the US Open could define the late stages of the tournament.
How we got here
Sabalenka has reached the US Open semifinals by overpowering Pegula, continuing her strong run at Flushing Meadows. The winner will advance to face the winner of the second semifinal between Rybakina and Gauff. Rybakina is poised to take over the No. 1 ranking next week if current form holds.
Our analysis
- Arab News: Sabalenka’s 19 straight wins at the US Open; potential three-peat and ranking shift. - New York Post: Sabalenka’s semifinal opponent implications and historical head-to-head with Pegula. - Business Insider UK: Context on viewing options and Sabalenka’s path to three-peat.
Go deeper
- Will Sabalenka complete a three-peat at the US Open this year?
- Who will Sabalenka face in the semis between Rybakina and Gauff?
More on these topics
-
Coco Gauff - American tennis player
Cori "Coco" Gauff is an American tennis player. She is the youngest player ranked in the top 100 by the Women's Tennis Association and has a career-high ranking of No. 49 in the world in singles, and No. 42 in doubles.
-
Elena Rybakina - Russian-Kazakhstani tennis player
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of No. 17 by the Women's Tennis Association.
-
Jessica Pegula - US American tennis player
Jessica Pegula (born February 24, 1994) is an American professional tennis player. She has career-high rankings in singles of world No. 3, achieved in October 2022, and in doubles of world No. 1, achieved in September 2023. Pegula has won 11 singles titles and seven doubles titles on the WTA Tour, including four WTA 1000 titles in singles and two in doubles. She was the runner-up at the 2024 US Open and at the 2023 WTA Finals. In doubles, she was runner-up at the 2022 French Open, partnering with Coco Gauff, and in the mixed doubles of the 2023 US Open, with Austin Krajicek. She is a three-time major singles semifinalist (twice at the US Open, once at the Australian Open) and has reached ten quarterfinals across all four major tournaments. Pegula also led the US team to victory in the inaugural 2023 United Cup and to the final of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup.
-
Aryna Sabalenka - Belarusian tennis player
Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She is the current world No. 1 in women's singles by the WTA and is a former No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won 24 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including four..
-
Arthur Ashe Stadium - Stadium in Queens, New York
Arthur Ashe Stadium is a tennis stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. Part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it is the main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament, and the largest tennis stadium in the wo
-
ESPN - Cable company
ESPN is an American multinational basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company and Hearst Communications. The company was founded in 1979 by Bill Rasmussen along with his son Scott Rasmussen and Ed Egan. ESPN bro
-
Serena Williams - American tennis player
Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and former world No. 1 in women's single tennis. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time behind Margaret Court.