Sabalenka Beats Pegula 7-5, 6-2 to Reach 3rd Straight U.S. Open Final

Q: Will Sabalenka secure her historic three-peat, or can a challenger derail her 19-match U.S. Open winning streak?

Sabalenka is the favorite, but Elena Rybakina looks like the most credible threat to stopping the three-peat. Sabalenka has been the best player in New York again. She has won 19 straight U.S. Open matches, is back in the final for the fourth consecutive year, and dismantled Jessica Pegula with a level Pegula herself called “insanely high.” Against Pegula, Sabalenka’s edge was clear in the biggest areas: she attacked second serves, finished with 29 winners to 12, and took over once the first set tightened. On hard courts, that power remains especially difficult to absorb over two sets. The challenge now is sharper. Rybakina has already beaten Sabalenka in the 2026 Australian Open final, arrives after rallying past Coco Gauff, and will become the new world No. 1 next week. Her serve and flatter baseline game are among the few on the tour that can consistently hit through Sabalenka and deny her rhythm. Multiple reports around the tournament framed Rybakina as the most dangerous late-round opponent for exactly that reason. Still, Sabalenka’s history at Flushing Meadows matters. She knows how to manage the event, has said she learned from failing to complete the Australian Open three-peat, and appears locked in on blocking out outside noise. If she serves well and continues to punish second serves the way she did against Pegula, she has the slight edge. But this final is no formality: if anyone is equipped to derail the streak, it is Rybakina.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 11

Aryna Sabalenka advanced to Saturday's final with a 7-5, 6-2 semifinal win over No. 3 Jessica Pegula in New York, moving within one victory of a third consecutive U.S. Open title.
29 winners powered the top-ranked Belarusian after a tight first set, as she attacked Pegula's second serve and pulled away decisively in the second.
19 straight U.S. Open match wins have carried Sabalenka since her 2023 final loss to Coco Gauff, including victories over Pegula in the 2024 final, 2025 semifinal and now 2026 semifinal.
Saturday's final will pit Sabalenka against either No. 2 Elena Rybakina or No. 4 Coco Gauff, with a title making her the first woman since Serena Williams in 2012-14 to win three straight in New York.
Next week's rankings still add a twist: Rybakina is set to replace Sabalenka at No. 1 despite Sabalenka's run to another U.S. Open final.