Aryna Sabalenka is refusing to let go of her US Open crown. The top-ranked Belarusian dismantled American No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night, punching her ticket to a fourth consecutive US Open final and moving one victory from a feat only two women in the Open era have pulled off.

The numbers told the story of total control. Sabalenka fired 7 aces to Pegula's 4, won 71.2% of her service points to Pegula's 61.7%, and converted 3 of 8 break-point chances while facing — and saving — the lone break point Pegula generated all match. She closed it out winning 65 of 119 total points, breaking Pegula's second serve repeatedly once the American faded after a tight opening set that went 5-5 before Sabalenka pulled away.

A Familiar Foe, A Familiar Result

This marked the third straight year Sabalenka and Pegula have met at the US Open — Sabalenka beat her in the 2024 final (7-5, 7-5) and again in the 2025 semifinal, before Thursday's rout extended the head-to-head dominance at Flushing Meadows. For Pegula, the top-ranked American left in the draw, it's another near-miss against the sport's most dominant hard-court force.

A win Saturday would make Sabalenka just the third woman in tournament history — after Chris Evert and Serena Williams (2012-14) — to capture three straight US Open titles, and her first major of a 2026 season that has otherwise been light on Grand Slam hardware for the two-time defending champion.

"I was so desperate to win. I wanted it badly, and I was just trying to focus on myself," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview, later adding of the partisan Ashe crowd, "No complaints. I'm super happy I was able to pull out such tennis... in front of you all."

Sabalenka has openly embraced the history chase in recent days, telling reporters after her quarterfinal win over Linda Noskova that "three-peat sounds great," even as she downplayed the pressure of the pursuit.

What's Next

Sabalenka will face the winner of Thursday's other semifinal between Coco Gauff and new World No. 1 Elena Rybakina in Saturday's final, chasing not just the three-peat but her first Grand Slam title since last year's US Open. Kickoff for the women's final is set for Saturday afternoon at Arthur Ashe.