Aryna Sabalenka sets up blockbuster US Open final with Elena Rybakina

The Belarusian arguably played her best tennis of the year as she beat Pegula 7-5, 6-2 on the hard courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The opening ten games were close. They traded holds and generated just one break point each until 5-5. But after Sabalenka held for 6-5, she ripped a backhand a few points later that Pegula couldn't handle, breaking to take the opening set.

But Sabalenka put her foot down in the second set. She converted her fourth break point to go 3-1 up and never looked back as Pegula struggled immensely on her second serve.

With the victory, Sabalenka becomes the first player in the Open Era to reach eight consecutive Grand Slam hard-court finals.

The world number two channelled the energy from her loss to Pegula on grass back in June.

"I was super desperate," she reflected.

"I lost a tough match on grass against Jess, and I wasn't really performing well in the middle part of the season. It kind of feels like for me, talking about Grand Slams, like a last push for the season. I wanted badly to go to the final, 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.'"

Waiting for Sabalenka in the final is Elena Rybakina. Just a day after dethroning Sabalenka from the top of women's tennis, the Kazakh rallied to come back from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

No less than 18 unforced errors from Rybakina handed the opening set to Gauff. But once she cut them out, Rybakina was too hot to handle and went on to knock out another American hopeful.

"Very close match," Rybakina told the press afterwards.

"Super happy, proud. So, I don't know, can't find other words, but definitely very happy and proud."

Sabalenka leads their storied Rivalry 10-7, with Rybakina's last win coming in the Australian Open final in January.

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