The 2026 US Open women's final will be Elena Rybakina, the new WTA No. 1, against Aryna Sabalenka, the old No. 1. Rybakina took everything No. 4 Coco Gauff had in the semifinals and still pulled out a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday. Her reward will be a clash with the woman she took the top ranking from just by reaching the semifinals. Sabalenka reached the final with a demolition of No. 3 Jessica Pegula earlier Thursday . Rybakina's path was a bit more complicated. It's not that she failed to execute in the first set, she just ran into a fellow two-time Grand Slam winner playing some of the best tennis of her life. Gauff had everything working for her early on. She usually has some one of the best backhands and speed in tennis, but she also showed up with a huge serve — a marked departure from her past struggles with that shot — and enough confidence in her forehand to give Rybakina nowhere to put the ball. She even out-aced Rybakina, the consensus best server in women's tennis, 4-1 in that set. The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd was clearly pulling for her and had plenty of reason to cheer. Unfortunately, the next two sets turned into the kind of competition where Gauff has to win ugly, and Rybakina didn't join her there. Gauff's forehand disappeared in the blink of a changeover, going from two unforced errors with the shot in the first set to seven in the second. That wound up being all the vulnerability Rybakina needed to lock in and show why she will have a different ranking on Monday. Gauff's serve kept her competitive in the third set to a point, but the break by Rybakina was inevitable. What was more surprising was Gauff managing to break back while down 5-4 in the most electric moment of the match. However, the adrenaline receded and Rybakina won four consecutive points off Gauff's serve to anticlimactically end the match, with Gauff airmailing an overhead smash on her final shot. The US Open title will be decided Saturday, the No. 1 ranking will not Saturday will see a clash of the two best hardcourt players of a generation, though only the US Open trophy will be on the line. Rybakina is guaranteed to be the new WTA No. 1 come Monday, by virtue of having far fewer rankings points to defend than the defending US Open champion Sabalenka. However, it's not like either woman needed such a motivation to be at her best. Sabalenka leads the career head-to-head battle 10-7 against Rybakina, and many of those matches have been on big stages in the past year. Rybakina beat Sabalenka in both last year's WTA Finals championship and this year's Australian Open final. Sabalenka beat Rybakina in both finals of this year's Sunshine Double, in Indian Wells and Miami. Rybakina has that Australian title as well the 2022 Wimbledon trophy. This will be her first US Open final, though, as she had never advanced past the fourth round in New York City until this year. Sabalenka, meanwhile, will be playing her fourth straight US Open final. The American crowd was pulling for both Pegula and Gauff on Thursday. They got the top two seeds taking care of business instead. Rybakina looking ahead to playing Sabalenka Saturday's final will now be a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2, with Elena Rybakina trying to foil Aryna Sabalenka's US Open three-peat. After her match against Coco Gauff, Rybakina said that she needed to be more "agressive" with her shots and step up her service game to compete against Sabalenka. "I definitely need to step my game up," Rybakina said. Rybakina looking ahead to playing Sabalenka Saturday's final will now be a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2, with Elena Rybakina trying to foil Aryna Sabalenka's US Open three-peat. After her match against Coco Gauff, Rybakina said that she needed to be more "agressive" with her shots and step up her service game to compete against Sabalenka. "I definitely need to step my game up," Rybakina said. Coco Gauff exits the US Open after falling just short Coco Gauff exits the US Open after falling just short The moment Rybakina secured the semifinal win Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The moment Rybakina secured the semifinal win Elena Rybakina defeats Coco Gauff in three sets Coco Gauff put up quite a fight towards the end, but Elena Rybakina will be moving on to the US Open final for the first time. Rybakina takes the third set, 6-4, after a consistent performance and a key late break. Elena Rybakina defeats Coco Gauff in three sets Coco Gauff put up quite a fight towards the end, but Elena Rybakina will be moving on to the US Open final for the first time. Rybakina takes the third set, 6-4, after a consistent performance and a key late break. Coco Gauff gets fired up as she starts a comeback Coco Gauff gets fired up as she starts a comeback 5-4 Rybakina in the third set Gauff earns a crucial break to keep the game going. Even with her forehand getting smoked, Gauff made up for it with her athleticism, and let Rybakina hit multiple shots into the net. Gauff always has the crowd on her side at the US Open, but every point earned this game has been met with an absolute roar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 5-4 Rybakina in the third set Gauff earns a crucial break to keep the game going. Even with her forehand getting smoked, Gauff made up for it with her athleticism, and let Rybakina hit multiple shots into the net. Gauff always has the crowd on her side at the US Open, but every point earned this game has been met with an absolute roar. 5-3 Rybakina in the third set In a moment that felt like it was coming all set, Rybakina gets her first break of the game and clears up her path to the final. Gauff is starting to get visibly frustrated as her forehand starts to fade, smacking her racket against her hand after a close drop shot, and again after a line hit goes out of bounds. She'll have to break Rybakina if she wants to stay alive. 5-3 Rybakina in the third set In a moment that felt like it was coming all set, Rybakina gets her first break of the game and clears up her path to the final.

Gauff is starting to get visibly frustrated as her forehand starts to fade, smacking her racket against her hand after a close drop shot, and again after a line hit goes out of bounds. She'll have to break Rybakina if she wants to stay alive. 4-3 Rybakina in the third set This set has almost entirely been easy holds for Rybakina and high-stress holds for Gauff. Rybakina hasn't drawn blood yet, but that is the way this match is starting to tip as we head into the last few games. 4-3 Rybakina in the third set This set has almost entirely been easy holds for Rybakina and high-stress holds for Gauff. Rybakina hasn't drawn blood yet, but that is the way this match is starting to tip as we head into the last few games. 3-3 tied in the third set Gauff got a big encouraging cheer from Arthur Ashe Stadium after falling behind love-30 and responded with three straight points won, but then fell into a deuce. She finally gets out of it after Rybakina leaves a forehand down the line just wide. This is not a sentence many people have said about Gauff in recent years: It is her serve keeping her in this match. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 3-3 tied in the third set Gauff got a big encouraging cheer from Arthur Ashe Stadium after falling behind love-30 and responded with three straight points won, but then fell into a deuce. She finally gets out of it after Rybakina leaves a forehand down the line just wide. This is not a sentence many people have said about Gauff in recent years: It is her serve keeping her in this match. 3-2 Rybakina in the third set Another easy hold for Rybakina. Gauff needs to break her rhythm there or face a difficult tiebreaker at best. 3-2 Rybakina in the third set Another easy hold for Rybakina. Gauff needs to break her rhythm there or face a difficult tiebreaker at best. 2-2 tied in the third set Gauff looked quite a bit better there, coming about an inch from holding to love. 2-2 tied in the third set Gauff looked quite a bit better there, coming about an inch from holding to love. 2-1 Rybakina in the third set An easy hold for Rybakina, who finishes off the game with back-to-back aces. She is looking like a world No. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 2-1 Rybakina in the third set An easy hold for Rybakina, who finishes off the game with back-to-back aces. She is looking like a world No. 1. 1-1 tied in the third set Gauff gets taken to deuce but gets the hold. However, she is also looking tentative, missing with her forehand and hasn't had an ace since the first set. She had everything working in the first set and now has a much more limited toolset. You rarely want to bet against her in a third set with her endurance and the number of ways she can beat you, but she still looks like she has a corner to turn. 1-1 tied in the third set Gauff gets taken to deuce but gets the hold. However, she is also looking tentative, missing with her forehand and hasn't had an ace since the first set. She had everything working in the first set and now has a much more limited toolset. You rarely want to bet against her in a third set with her endurance and the number of ways she can beat you, but she still looks like she has a corner to turn. 1-0 Rybakina in the third set Gauff threatened a little going up 15-30, but Rybakina shook it off to start the third set on the right foot. 1-0 Rybakina in the third set Gauff threatened a little going up 15-30, but Rybakina shook it off to start the third set on the right foot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elena Rybakina takes the second set 6-4 Rybakina swipes the set with another break of Gauff, who went from seven unforced errors in the first set to 14 in the second. To the third set we go. Elena Rybakina takes the second set 6-4 Rybakina swipes the set with another break of Gauff, who went from seven unforced errors in the first set to 14 in the second. To the third set we go. 5-4 Rybakina in the second set Rybakina shakes off the break with a hold to love, finishing it off with an unforced error from Gauff. 5-4 Rybakina in the second set Rybakina shakes off the break with a hold to love, finishing it off with an unforced error from Gauff. 4-4 tied in the second set Gauff consolidates the break. We are suddenly not far from a tiebreaker to decide the second set. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4-4 tied in the second set Gauff consolidates the break. We are suddenly not far from a tiebreaker to decide the second set. 4-3 Rybakina in the second set Gauff gets the break and the crowd goes wild. She had double break point and missed the first after a drop shot landed just wide, but pulled off the second after Rybakina left a down-the-line backhand in the net. Another big momentum shift. 4-3 Rybakina in the second set Gauff gets the break and the crowd goes wild. She had double break point and missed the first after a drop shot landed just wide, but pulled off the second after Rybakina left a down-the-line backhand in the net. Another big momentum shift.