US Open: All four top seeds reach women's semis — SkimNews
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- The US Open women's semi-finals will feature all four top seeds (Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff) for the first time at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2009, with Sabalenka (1) facing Pegula (3) and Rybakina (2) taking on Gauff (4).
- Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, is two wins from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams' 2012-14 run to win three straight US Open titles, and she hadn't dropped a set all tournament until edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in Tuesday's quarter-finals.
- Jessica Pegula trails Sabalenka 9-4 head-to-head and has lost to her at Flushing Meadows for two straight years (2024 final, 2025 semi-final), though Pegula won their most recent meeting at the Berlin Open, taking the deciding set 6-0.
- Elena Rybakina dethroned Sabalenka as world No 1 with her quarter-final win over Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, becoming the 30th woman and first from Kazakhstan to top the WTA rankings after Sabalenka had held No 1 since October 2024.
- Coco Gauff saved two match points in the second set to stun French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, reaching the semi-finals at a second straight major at the site of her 2023 US Open title.
- Rybakina and Gauff are tied 1-1 head-to-head, with Rybakina winning their last meeting in three sets at last month's Canadian Open semi-finals; Rybakina revealed she came into the tournament 'injured and not practicing.'
Why it matters: Sabalenka surrendered the No 1 ranking to Rybakina this week, but said she'd 'gladly trade it' for a third straight US Open title — a feat no woman has achieved since Serena Williams' 2012-14 run. A semi-final loss to Pegula, however, would mean Sabalenka exits Flushing Meadows with neither the ranking nor the trophy, while a Rybakina win would crown the tour's new No 1 in the same tournament she claimed it.
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