US Open Women's Final Four Clash as Top 4 Seeds Reach Semis for 2nd Time

Q: How will newly crowned World No. 1 Rybakina handle the intense New York crowd backing a resilient Coco Gauff?

Rybakina looks well equipped to handle it by leaning on the same traits that got her to No. 1: a calm temperament, a big serve and a simple, first-strike game. The evidence from New York suggests the atmosphere is unlikely to rattle her easily. She said this week that her relationship with the city and its fans is “getting better and better” and that she enjoys playing in big stadiums. That matters against Gauff, whose home support at Arthur Ashe can be intense and emotional, especially after another comeback win. Tactically, Rybakina’s best answer to the crowd is to shorten points and control the scoreboard. She has been one of the tour leaders in aces and has already produced authoritative wins in the tournament, including against Naomi Osaka. If she serves well and gets ahead early in games, she can take the crowd out of rallies and limit the momentum swings that feed Gauff. The bigger test may be emotional rather than technical. Gauff thrives when matches get chaotic, and the crowd can amplify that. Rybakina will need to avoid letting one lost service game or a loud Gauff surge turn into a run of errors. Her recent Toronto win over Gauff is a useful reference point: when she imposed her pace, she dictated. So the likely formula is clear: stay detached from the noise, trust the serve, attack early, and resist getting drawn into long, reactive exchanges. If she does that, the crowd becomes a factor, not a deciding one.

3 articles · Updated · WTA Tennis · Sep 10

Thursday’s US Open women’s semifinals feature all top four seeds in New York, only the second such occurrence in the tournament’s Open Era after 1975.
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka meets No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the 14th match of a rivalry Sabalenka leads 9-4, with each winning two of their last four deciders.
No. 2 Elena Rybakina, newly assured of the world No. 1 ranking after beating Zheng Qinwen, faces No. 4 Coco Gauff after defeating her in Toronto last month.
Sabalenka is chasing a third straight US Open title, Pegula her first Grand Slam, Rybakina a third major, and 2023 champion Gauff another home-soil final.
The semifinal lineup is also the first top-four sweep at any Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2009, underscoring the depth and form at the top of the women’s game.