Key Takeaways
- Elena Rybakina fought back to defeat home favorite Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the 2026 US Open final, describing herself as “super happy, proud” after navigating a tense deciding set.
- Rybakina credited her clutch performances in tight three-set encounters to stability and her support network, explaining that “now all my focus was on tennis” after dealing with off-court challenges in previous years.
- Looking ahead to Saturday’s final against Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina emphasized the need to bring her best serve against an opponent who “pushes you to the limits.”
Overcoming Gauff and the New York night crowd
Elena Rybakina produced a stirring comeback at the US Open, securing her place in the final by defeating home favorite Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 under the lights in New York. The semifinal battle tested Rybakina’s resolve against both an elite opponent and an intensely partisan crowd backing the American star.
Reflecting on the tense encounter shortly after walking off the court, Rybakina shared her immediate emotions about navigating such a tight battle. “Um amazing match. Uh very close match, super happy, proud. So, yeah, I don’t know, can’t find other words, but uh definitely very happy and proud,” she said.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd voiced strong backing for Gauff, especially during the defining stages of the deciding set. While the atmosphere heavily favored her opponent, Rybakina maintained her composure during the crucial baseline exchanges. “In the beginning, I felt like it was a very nice atmosphere, and only in the end when I was uh up uh in the third set uh um crowd really supported a lot Coco, but I tried to focus on myself, try to not listen,” Rybakina explained. “I enjoyed the atmosphere atmosphere even if the crowd mostly was was for Coco.”
Trusting her team and finding clutch form
The victory showcased a sharper mental and physical edge for Rybakina in deciding sets, reversing the trend of previous seasons where grueling three-setters sometimes slipped away at the Grand Slams. When asked about the shift that has made her stronger during pressure moments, Rybakina highlighted stability away from competition.
“I think that now I have very good team around me, good people. And it definitely helps. It’s been a lot going on in the previous year outside of of the court and uh um I think now all my focus was on tennis,” Rybakina explained. “I’m not getting younger also and physically always some things coming up, so yeah, I think just all things put together, also experience for the past years on tour and uh all the all these things led to to these kind of results.”
When questioned about managing her physical demands at 27 years old, she clarified that managing wear and tear is an ongoing process that requires careful management alongside her support staff. “No, I feel young, but uh my body, of course, throughout the years uh some things are um uh let’s say not uh going away completely and some issues are staying and sometimes they’re just becoming either bigger or some moments better and we always need to work,” she noted. “That’s why the the right people is important. I feel like uh without them uh it will be very difficult to to uh reach the this high point.”
Championship clash against Aryna Sabalenka
A familiar rival awaits Rybakina in Saturday’s title match. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka earned her way back to the final with a 7-5, 6-2 semifinal win over Jessica Pegula, setting up another heavyweight clash between two of the game’s hardest hitters.
Rybakina knows precisely what kind of challenge Sabalenka brings to the court and understands the high execution level needed to capture the trophy. “She’s a very aggressive player. Um it’s uh difficult to play with her mentally, physically, because she has uh big game, uh big serve,” Rybakina stated. “I will need to come with uh all the energy I will have, um bring my best serve against Arena, and uh yeah, um make the right decisions in the right moment because uh most of the times it’s uh uh tight uh tight score and this is where the the decision makes a difference.”
Despite the high stakes of a major final, Rybakina plans to embrace the challenge without imposing unnecessary strain on herself. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself because we are all very close in the ranking,” she remarked. “We push each other um when we play these matches and you clearly can see on what you need to work more and I think that’s that’s great that you play against someone who pushes you to the limits.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-FB4rK2ibg
WTA U.S. Open - Elena Rybakina's projected path
Rybakina at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2026
Currently ranked no.2 (career-high), Rybakina achieved a composed 48-13 win-loss record in 2026. The Kazakhstani is currently having a run at the U.S. Open where she overcame the world no.585 Thea Frodin 6-3 6-2, the world no.105 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-4, the world no.58 Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-6(6) 6-3, the world no.13 Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-4, the world no.121 Qinwen Zheng 3-6 6-1 6-4 and the world no.4 Cori Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4.
Elena Rybakina will play the world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final. Their actual head to head record is 10-7 for Sabalenka.
The Kazakhstani conquered 2 titles in 2026 at the Australian Open and Stuttgart.
The Kazakhstani won 13 titles in her career: 6 on hard courts, 5 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
Cori Gauff in 2026
Ranked world no.4, the American played her last match on the 10th of September when she capitulated to world no.2 Elena Rybakina 3-6 6-4 6-4 in the semifinal of the U.S. Open (draw).
This season the American owns an overall 45-14 record. Gauff has won 1 title in Cincinnati.
Elena Rybakina and Cori Gauff fought against each other 3 times. Their actual head to head record is 2-1 for Rybakina.
