NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka will not be No. 1 when the WTA releases its new rankings Monday, no matter what happens in Saturday’s U.S. Open final. On Thursday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka moved one win from a third straight title in Flushing Meadows by beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals.
Earlier in the week, Sabalenka said she would be fine giving up the top spot if it came with another U.S. Open trophy. “It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do,” Sabalenka said after Thursday’s match. “I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season. Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position.”
Sabalenka had been No. 1 for 99 consecutive weeks, starting in October 2024. Counting an earlier stint, she has spent 107 weeks at No. 1, the 10th most all time.
Elena Rybakina Beat Aryna Sabalenka In Australian Open Final
In January, Elena Rybakina beat Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in the Australian Open final. Sabalenka won Indian Wells and Miami in March.
At Roland Garros, Diana Shnaider beat her in the quarterfinals. Pegula beat her in the Berlin semifinals in June and won the third set 6-0. Naomi Osaka knocked her out of Wimbledon in the fourth round.
Rybakina came into the U.S. Open needing only to reach the semifinals to clinch No. 1. She did it Wednesday with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Zheng Qinwen. Rybakina will be the 30th woman to hold the top ranking. She will also be the first player from Kazakhstan, man or woman, to reach No. 1.
Aryna Sabalenka Reaches Eighth Straight Hard-Court Major Final
Saturday will be Sabalenka’s fourth straight U.S. Open final and her eighth consecutive final at a hard-court major, dating to the 2023 Australian Open. Reuters reported that the run of eight is an Open Era record.
Sabalenka was desperate for the win Thursday. “I wanted badly to go to the finals, and of course I want to go all the way,” Sabalenka explained.
On Pegula’s second serve, Sabalenka won 14 of 19 points. She finished with 29 winners to Pegula’s 12.
Sabalenka said on court that in her last match against Pegula, it had been almost impossible to get the win. “I felt like whatever decision I would make, it is the right decision,” Sabalenka said, according to Reuters.
“I would definitely say that against Jess probably today, compared to the last matches we played, it was definitely the better level from me,” Sabalenka added.
Two days before the semifinal, Sabalenka beat Wimbledon champion Linda Nosková 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (10-7) in the quarterfinals. She closed that match with a second-serve ace.
Since losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, Sabalenka has won 19 straight matches at the U.S. Open, according to the AP. A win Saturday would make her the first woman to win three straight titles in New York since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014. Chris Evert won four in a row from 1975 to 1978.
Rybakina beat Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in Thursday’s second semifinal. The final is Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.
