Aryna Sabalenka moved one win away from a third straight U.S. Open title Thursday night, beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The No. 1 seed from Belarus reached her fourth consecutive final in Flushing Meadows, extending her winning streak in New York to 19 matches. No woman had reached four straight U.S. Open finals since Serena Williams accomplished the feat from 2011 to 2014.
"No complaints," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. "I'm just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis."
The match remained locked in a service battle through the first 11 games, with neither player managing a break. Sabalenka saved the only break point she faced all night while serving at 5-5, then capitalized on her opportunity in the next game.
Serving to stay in the set at 5-6, Pegula fell behind 0-40 and saved one set point before netting a forehand on the second. Sabalenka had unleashed three blistering returns to create those set points, suddenly breaking through after Pegula had dominated on serve early.
The American third seed had been nearly perfect behind her first serve in the opening set, winning 18 of 20 points. But Sabalenka's power proved decisive in the crucial moments.
Early in the second set, Sabalenka seized control with a break for a 3-1 lead, clinching it with a 91 mph forehand return winner. She held serve for 4-1, then closed out the match when Pegula's backhand sailed long to give her match point at 30-40. A forehand winner ended the contest.
Sabalenka finished with 29 winners to Pegula's 12 and won more than 70% of her service points. The victory improved her head-to-head record against Pegula to 10-4.
"I'm super happy I was able to play such tennis in front of you all," Sabalenka told the crowd. "Thank you for the atmosphere. You guys are the best. Your respect to me is priceless. I know you wanted her to win, it's obvious. But thank you for being so respectful to me. Love you guys."
This marked the third straight year the two players met in New York. Sabalenka defeated Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the 2024 final, while their 2025 semifinal went three sets with Pegula winning the first 6-4 before Sabalenka took the next two 6-3, 6-4.
Sabalenka acknowledged the difficulty of their previous encounter. "The last match I played against Jessica it was almost impossible for me to get the win," she said.
Pegula entered the semifinal with 50 tour-level wins in 2026 and had won two of her previous three matches against Sabalenka. Despite the loss, she had served superbly for most of the first set before Sabalenka's late surge.
The 28-year-old Sabalenka will lose her world No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina on Monday, but she remains focused on defending her U.S. Open crown. She lost her first U.S. Open final appearance in 2023 to Coco Gauff before winning the title in both 2024 and 2025.
Sabalenka will face either No. 2 Elena Rybakina or her opponent in the final as she pursues what would be a historic third consecutive U.S. Open championship.
