Sabalenka Beats Pegula to Reach US Open Final

Aryna Sabalenka just punched her ticket to a fourth straight US Open final. The world No. 1 beat Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the women's semifinals Thursday in New York, rolling through in straight sets and putting herself one win from a three-peat, per The Big Lead and US Open coverage.

That is the first woman to reach four consecutive US Open finals since Serena Williams closed her 2012-14 run. Sabalenka already owns the last two Flushing Meadows titles. Saturday she will chase the first three-peat at this major since Serena.

First set tight, second set a runaway

Pegula hung around through a tense first set. Little separated them early, and the American crowd stayed loud for the No. 3 seed. Sabalenka still found the break she needed to close 7-5, then flipped the switch. The second set was a different match. Sabalenka dictated from the baseline, kept Pegula on the run, and finished 6-2 before anyone could rebuild the belief from set one.

Reports framed it as Sabalenka's cleanest tennis of this US Open. Pegula's body language looked flat to some viewers, and late in the second she even tossed the racquet. Sabalenka thanked the fans afterward for staying respectful even while they were cheering the American. She also admitted she was desperate for the win with the ranking picture shifting next week.

Three-peat stage is set

Sabalenka waits for the winner of Coco Gauff versus Elena Rybakina in the other semifinal. That result was still live when this desk filed, so we are not inventing a finalist. What is locked is Sabalenka's side of the bracket: four straight finals, ninth Grand Slam final overall, and a shot at history Saturday.

Pegula's path included the kind of New York nights fans remember, including when Pegula beat Kenin earlier in the draw. Thursday was a step too far against a defending champion who refused to blink once she grabbed the first set. On the men's side, Flushing already has its own heavyweight story after Zverev reached the semis, but the women's final now has its first name in ink.

For tennis fans, this is Sabalenka doing Sabalenka things in New York. She survived the first-set scrap, owned the second, and walked off with another final. Pegula never found a sustained answer once the Belarusian started landing first-strike tennis. Fourth straight final. Three-peat on the line. Saturday cannot come soon enough.