For the first time in 51 years, the US Open women’s singles semifinals feature all four of the tournament’s top seeds. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have all survived three-set quarterfinal battles to create a final four that is remarkably rare.
Before this fortnight, the last time all four top seeds reached the women’s singles semifinals at a Grand Slam was Wimbledon in 2009, where Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams in the final. The last time this happened in New York was in 1975, when Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova and Evonne Goolagong reached the semifinals. Evert went on to win the title.
The achievement is particularly striking given the unpredictability that has defined the women’s game in recent years. Since 2020, 13 different women have won Grand Slam singles titles, compared with just seven different champions on the men’s side.
Now, the biggest names are all still standing and each has something major at stake.
[1] Aryna Sabalenka vs. [3] Jessica Pegula semifinal
Top seed and two-time defending champion Sabalenka faces Pegula in Thursday’s first semifinal, with the American the only semifinalist without a Grand Slam title to her name.
The pair have met 13 times, including at the US Open in each of the past two years. Sabalenka defeated Pegula in the 2024 final before fighting back from a set down to beat her in last year’s semifinals.
Although Pegula has beaten Sabalenka four times on tour, she is still searching for her first Grand Slam victory over the four-time major champion. It is a “hurdle” she admits she must overcome.
For Sabalenka, the stakes are historic too: she is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three consecutive US Open titles.
[2] Elena Rybakina vs. [4] Coco Gauff semifinal
The second semifinal brings together Rybakina and Gauff, with a huge milestone already guaranteed for the Kazakhstani.
By reaching the semifinals, Rybakina will become the new world No. 1 on Monday, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at the top. But Rybakina has brushed off the significance of the ranking, calling it “just a number” and insisting that winning her third Grand Slam is the real goal.
Standing in her way is Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, who is back in the semifinals after fourth-round exits in the past two years.
Gauff and Rybakina are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head, with Rybakina winning their most recent encounter after coming from a set down to defeat the American in last month’s Canadian Open semifinals.
