'Insane' Sabalenka powers past Pegula into US Open final

NEW YORK, United States — Top seed Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course for a third consecutive US Open crown on Thursday (Friday, Manila time), storming into the final with a straight sets demolition of American third seed Jessica Pegula.

Sabalenka – who beat Pegula en route to US Open wins in 2024 and 2025 – punched her ticket to the final with a 7-5, 6-2 win on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

The 28-year-old Belarusian, bidding to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three straight US Open titles, swatted aside Pegula with a dominant service game and a fearsome array of powerful groundstrokes.

Sabalenka will face the winner of Thursday's other semifinal between second seed Elena Rybakina or fourth seed Coco Gauff.

Gauff beat Sabalenka in the 2023 US Open final while Rybakina -- who beat the Belarusian in the Australian Open final in January -- has toppled her from the number one ranking just by reaching the semis.

On the evidence of her semifinal win, Sabalenka will head into the final bristling with confidence after producing her best performance of the tournament to snuff out Pegula's dream of a first ever Grand Slam title.

Pegula, who posted a dominant victory over Sabalenka on grass in Berlin this year as the Belarusian struggled through the summer, thought it was the best match Sabalenka had played all year.

"I thought her level was insanely high," Pegula said. "Maybe she felt a little bit off at the beginning, but I feel like we were both playing well, serving well ... she played insane. She played a super high level."

Sabalenka, who sent down seven aces and 29 winners, said she was "desperate" for the win.

"I wanted it so badly," she said. "I lost a tough match on grass against Jess, and I wasn't really performing well in the middle part of the season.

"So it kind of feels for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push of the season. I wanted it badly to go to the finals, and, of course, I want to go all the way.

"The mentality was just I'm ready. I'm ready for whatever it's going to take to get the win."

Both players gave away little in the first set, serving superbly to keep the match on serve until the 12th game, with Sabalenka leading 6-5.

It was Pegula who would blink first, finding herself down 0-40 after a barrage of hefty groundstrokes from Sabalenka, who clinched the set when Pegula duffed a return into the net.

Sabalenka kept the momentum rolling in the second set, attacking Pegula's suspect second serve and grabbing the crucial break for a 3-1 lead when she lasered a forehand into the corner.

The rest of the set went with serve until the eighth game, when Pegula fired long to give up a match point and Sabalenka sealed victory with another ferocious forehand.

abtestabtest First test for Gilas By Joaquin M. Henson | 14 hours ago Gilas opens its defense of the Asian Games gold medal in men’s 5x5 basketball against retooled, reinforced Bahrain at... Sports Duplantis leads creme de la creme at 'game-changing' Ultimate Championship 1 day ago Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is the headline act as the world's top-ranked track and field athletes gather for... Sports USA, France ease into women's Basketball World Cup semis 7 hours ago The United States breezed into the semifinals of the Women's Basketball World Cup with a 108-56 win against Hungary and... Sports Eala: A beast in Asiad return By Nelson Beltran | 14 hours ago Alex Eala will lead a lean but battle-tested Philippine tennis team to the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, seeking... Sports AK finishes third at Takedown 2026, climbs to No. 15 in Tekken World Tour Rankings By Michelle Lojo | 2 days ago Filipino Tekken player Alexandre "AK" Laverez secured a third-place finish at Takedown 2026 in Pakistan, earning... Sports Latest More in Sports Que keeps Chan at bay to conquer Summit Point Gilas fails to make it through Bahrain Rybakina rallies to beat Gauff, book US Open final with Sabalenka Ronaldo takes last crack at Asian glory as Saudi teams set to dominate abtest PatMen embraces sacrifices, silences doubters after GE's VCT Pacific Stage 2 triumph By Michelle Lojo | 3 hours ago For Filipino Valorant veteran Patrick "PatMen" Mendoza, Global Esports' VCT Pacific Stage 2 championship was... Sports Dream big, win big By Joey Villar | 14 hours ago Eight gold medals. Sports 5 Olympians banner athletics team By Joaquin M. Henson | 14 hours ago Five Olympians will spearhead the Philippines’ drive for gold in athletics at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with pole... Sports Maroons dominate 14 hours ago Challenge Cup Patricia de Leon and Susmita Ramos paced the massive UP contingent heading into the medal rounds following the... Sports Recommended Panganiban, Davide, Azcuna invited as amici curiae 14 hours ago The Senate impeachment court has invited two retired chief justices and a retired associate justice as amici curiae or judiciary... SportsCARPIOPANGANIBANSARA SC parries criticisms, cites improved caseload 14 hours ago  The Supreme Court yesterday presented its proposed P86.271-billion budget for next year at a Senate budget hearing,... SportsSC Duterte’s perjury case vs Madriaga junked 14 hours ago The Taguig prosecutor’s office has dismissed the perjury case filed by Vice President Sara Duterte against her former... SportsPOGORAMIL MADRIAGA 15 bank accounts of Sara, Mans match AMLC records 1 day ago   The House prosecution panel’s initial scrutiny of the bank accounts of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband... SportsALCDUTERTEMANS Some senators want SC to decide on impeach vote threshold 1 day ago Senators JV Ejercito and Raffy Tulfo want the Supreme Court to decide on the voting threshold to convict or acquit Vice President... SportsEJERCITOGATCHALIANSENATE next Recommended Panganiban, Davide, Azcuna invited as amici curiae The Senate impeachment court has invited two retired chief justices and a retired associate justice as amici curiae or judiciary resource persons to share their insights on the voting threshold in Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial. 14 hours ago CARPIO PANGANIBAN SARA SC parries criticisms, cites improved caseload  The Supreme Court yesterday presented its proposed P86.271-billion budget for next year at a Senate budget hearing, and assured senators of improving caseload in the judiciary. 14 hours ago SC Duterte’s perjury case vs Madriaga junked The Taguig prosecutor’s office has dismissed the perjury case filed by Vice President Sara Duterte against her former aide, Ramil Madriaga, for “lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.” 14 hours ago POGO RAMIL MADRIAGA 15 bank accounts of Sara, Mans match AMLC records   The House prosecution panel’s initial scrutiny of the bank accounts of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio yielded positive results as 15 of them “matched” the details presented by the Anti-Money Laundering Council. 1 day ago ALC DUTERTE MANS Some senators want SC to decide on impeach vote threshold Senators JV Ejercito and Raffy Tulfo want the Supreme Court to decide on the voting threshold to convict or acquit Vice President Sara Duterte amid a possible deadlock due to the continued absence of four senators. 1 day ago EJERCITO GATCHALIAN SENATE OK Are you sure you want to log out? Yes No X Login Philstar.com is one of the most vibrant, opinionated, discerning communities of readers on cyberspace. With your meaningful insights, help shape the stories that can shape the country. Sign up now!