Sabalenka rolls past Pegula, will vie for three-peat in US Open final - ESPN

NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka moved a win away from her third straight US Open title, beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday night.

Sabalenka blasted her way out of what was an even match for most of the first set, pouncing on Pegula's second serves and turning the second set into perhaps Sabalenka's most impressive stretch of tennis in the tournament.

«No complaints,» Sabalenka said. «I'm just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis.»

The No. 1 seed will face No. 2 Elena Rybakina or No. 4 Coco Gauff on Saturday, needing a victory to become the first player to win three in a row in Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014.

Rybakina will replace Sabalenka atop the women's tennis rankings next week, and Sabalenka said this week she would be fine ceding No. 1 after she held it 99 consecutive weeks if she can win another US Open trophy.

It will be hard to prevent that if she hits the ball Saturday the way she did against Pegula.

Sabalenka picked up 29 winners to Pegula's 12, turning their third straight meeting at the end of the US Open into a rout after Sabalenka's victory in the 2024 final and 2025 semifinals were tight most of the way.

«I was so desperate for the win, I wanted it badly,» Sabalenka said.

She has won 19 straight matches at the US Open since losing to Gauff in the 2023 final.

The top four seeds made it to the women's semifinals at the US Open for the first time since 1975. Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have all won multiple major titles; Pegula is still looking for her first.

Pegula, a native of Buffalo, New York, hoped it would come at her favorite Grand Slam tournament on her strongest surface, but unfortunately for her the hard courts are also where Sabalenka's power is more