Newly-crowned World No 1 Elena Rybakina completes comeback, beats Coco Gauff to reach US Open 2026 final

Recently crowned World No 1 Elena Rybakina booked her place in the US Open 2026 final after overcoming Coco Gauff in a thrilling comeback victory at Flushing Meadows on Thursday.

Rybakina dropped the opening set 3-6 but bounced back strongly, winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-4 to seal her spot in the championship match. Rybakina will face defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday.

Rybakina entered the semi-final as the newly crowned World No 1. She secured the top ranking after defeating Qinwen Zheng in the quarter-finals, becoming the 30th player to reach the summit of the WTA rankings.

Her run in New York has therefore combined a major ranking milestone with her best performance at the US Open.

Coco Gauff takes opening set

The semi-final began with Gauff taking control of the match. The American, seeded fourth, won the opening set 6-3, putting Rybakina under early pressure.

Gauff had reached the last four after defeating Mirra Andreeva in a three-set quarter-final. She had also previously won the 2023 US Open, making her appearance in the semi-final another opportunity to return to the final at Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina, however, responded in the second set. The Kazakhstani player levelled the match by taking the set 6-4, forcing the contest into a deciding set.

Elena Rybakina completes the comeback

The third set followed a similar pattern, with Rybakina eventually securing another 6-4 scoreline to complete the comeback. She won the final two sets after Gauff had taken the opening set and secured her place in her first US Open final.

The result continued Rybakina's run of success at Grand Slam tournaments in 2026. She arrived in New York as the reigning Australian Open champion, having won her second major title in Melbourne earlier this year. Her other Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2022.

The semi-final was also the latest meeting between two players who have already faced each other several times. Rybakina had defeated Gauff in the semi-finals of the National Bank Open in Canada in August, coming back from a set down.

Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka in US Open 2026 final

Rybakina will face defending champion Sabalenka in the US Open 2026 final on Saturday. Sabalenka, chasing a historic third straight title, defeated third seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the other women's semi-final to reach the championship match for the fourth consecutive year.

Sabalenka has won the US Open in each of the last two years and is now one victory away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win the tournament three years in a row. She has also become the first woman since 1975 to reach four consecutive US Open finals.

The final will therefore feature the newly crowned World No. 1 against the reigning US Open champion. For Rybakina, the match will be her first US Open final, while Sabalenka will be competing for her third successive title at Flushing Meadows.

The women's singles final is scheduled for Saturday, with Rybakina seeking her third Grand Slam title and Sabalenka aiming to extend her reign in New York.