Aryna Sabalenka will step onto Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday afternoon chasing tennis history: a third consecutive US Open title, a feat achieved in the Open era by only Chris Evert and Serena Williams. Standing in her way is Elena Rybakina, the tour's freshly minted world No. 1, who is into her first US Open final after surviving an ankle scare and knocking out American hope Coco Gauff.

The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Saturday, according to the WTA Tour.

Two Very Different Roads to the Final

Sabalenka reached the final by beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2, extending her US Open winning streak to 20 matches dating back to 2024 — she has dropped just one set across six matches this fortnight. A win Saturday would make her the first woman since Serena Williams (2012-2014) to win three straight US Open titles.

Rybakina's path was far bumpier. She rallied from a set down to beat Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 while managing a left ankle issue picked up in Cincinnati that had cast doubt on whether she'd even be able to compete, according to AFP.

ONLY EVERT AND SERENA HAVE DONE IT. SABALENKA WANTS IN.

The two have a lengthy rivalry: Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 10-7 and the pair split their two previous Grand Slam final meetings. They've already met three times in 2026 — Sabalenka won their Miami semifinal and the Indian Wells final, while Rybakina claimed the biggest prize of the three, the Australian Open title, according to Al Jazeera.

What's Next

The winner takes home the trophy and the No. 1-adjacent bragging rights that come with beating the tour's newly crowned top-ranked player. The men's final follows Sunday, with Ben Shelton chasing his own piece of history against top seed Alexander Zverev.