NEW YORK — For the first time in 51 years, the top four seeds have reached the women's semi-finals at the US Open, creating a historic line-up for the ages at Flushing Meadows. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff — all of whom started the tournament with a chance to leave New York as world number one — each survived three-set thrillers to achieve the feat last seen in 1975.
The achievement stunned even the players involved and marks the first time the top-four ranked players have reached the women's semi-finals at any Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2009. "How amazing - it doesn't get much better than that does it?," former British number one Annabel Croft told BBC Radio 5 Live. "It has felt fantastic the whole tournament - I just feel like I've been more enthused about looking forward to the match-ups this Grand Slam than any I can remember." Croft added: "I just feel like there's lots of really big names now, big personalities going up against each other and it's really exciting," noting the shift from recent unpredictability that has produced 13 different women's Grand Slam champions since 2020, compared to seven on the men's side.
Top seed and two-time defending champion Sabalenka will face American Pegula in Thursday's first semi-final (00:00 BST, Friday), while second seed Rybakina — who will replace Sabalenka as the new world number one on Monday and end her 99-week reign — takes on fourth seed Gauff afterwards. Sabalenka is bidding to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three successive US Open titles, while Pegula is the only player left chasing a maiden Grand Slam. The pair have met 13 times on the WTA Tour, with Pegula winning four, including Sabalenka's victories in the 2024 final and last year's semi-finals in New York. "It's fun to look at it like a rivalry. I think that's what motivates me," Pegula said. "I know that she's definitely pushed me to become a better player, so I always respect and appreciate that aspect of our rivalry." Sabalenka said: "I'm loving playing against her because it's a battle, because it's a fight, and I love being under pressure and going through tough challenges," ahead of her first semi-final since falling to Pegula at June's Berlin Open. Pegula added: "I know she hasn't maybe had the best results this summer, but I know that she has a lot of confidence playing here at this tournament, and she's going for a three-peat."
Rybakina has described the top ranking as "just a number" and stressed her focus remains on winning a third Grand Slam title. "It's never quite the same if you become world number one having lost a Grand Slam final or semi-final just beforehand, so she will be trying to cap off an absolutely perfect couple of weeks by winning the title," tennis correspondent Russell Fuller said on BBC Radio 5 Live. Standing in her way is Gauff, the 22-year-old American who won the title in 2023 but suffered fourth-round exits the following two years. "Sometimes you're just so focused on the now, now, now, because you want it now, and obviously you want to take advantage of your opportunities," Gauff said. "In the grand scheme of things, [I'm] definitely sitting here in a different mindset and perspective than I was last year. It inspires me a little bit more to keep working, as I see how much I have improved in a year."
Gauff leads the head-to-head against Australian Open champion Rybakina 2-1, though Rybakina fought back from a set down to triumph in last month's Canadian Open semi-finals. With the home crowd behind her on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Gauff is bracing for a stern test. "I'm going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I'm going to keep fighting and give it my all. That's all I can do," Gauff said.