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Friday, September 11, 2026

US.12- Two Hearts Beat as #1


Once more into the breach...










=DAY 12 NOTES=
...the first SF of the evening on Ashe completed what has become a three-year U.S. Open triptych for #1-seeded Aryna Sabalenka and #3 Jessie Pegula. After meetings in the '24 final and '25 semis, Sabalenka stood at 2-0 in the cycle, though Pegula had won two of their three meetings since, in Wuhan last fall and on the grass in Berlin this summer (w/ Sabalenka taking a round robin win at last year's WTA Finals).

In a highly competitive 1st set characterized by big hitting and short rallies (averaging less than three shots), the difference between the two was razor thin. Through the first eleven games, Sabalenka saw a single BP (in game 4, as Pegula held for 2-2), just as did Pegula, as the #3 seed's best chance to carve out a lead in the set came and went after Sabalenka lost a 30/love lead in game 9, but hit her way through two deuces and a BP to hold for 5-4. After holding a game later, outside of the tight game 4, Pegula had lost just two other points on serve.

But with the set within reach, Sabalenka finally struck in Pegula's final service game, quickly grabbing a love/40 lead. On her second BP/SP, she fired a deep shot off the baseline, creating a forehand error off Pegula's racket that gave her the 1st at 7-5.



Sabalenka didn't let up in the 2nd and, in fact, *raised* her level as she continued to marshal the force of all her power shots for good as she's often done when in her absolute *peak* running form, challenging Pegula to keep up. She could not.

Up 2-1, Sabalenka took a 15/40 lead on Pegula's serve. After a missed forehand volley on her third BP, Sabalenka got another chance and fired off a huge forehand return winner to break for 3-1. She held for 4-1, while Pegula did the same in a tight service game to stay close at 4-2.

But from there to the finish, Sabalenka effectively took the form of a Buffalo Bills Super Bowl opponent, with Pegula --unfortunatey for her -- playing the role of her family's own NFL team (i.e. she was simply rolled over, with little to nothing she could do about it).

In a rally in which Sabalenka combined great defense with overwhelming firepower, her big crosscourt shot wasn't able to be returned by Pegula, who fell behind 40/15 and finally slammed her racket in frustration. With her own put-away at the net a point later, Sabalenka held for 5-2.

Serving to stay in the match, Pegula fell behind 15/30 in game 8. At 30/30, a Pegula long ball gave Sabalenka a MP, and the defending champ didn't play around *this* time, blasting a forehand into the corner that a lunging Pegula could barely get her racket on, ending the 7-5/6-2 match with an emphatic statement as Sabalenka next heads off to Saturday in search of just the third women's three-peat at the U.S. Open in the Open era.

This is her 19th straight win in New York.



While the #1 ranking will slip through her fingers (at least for now), Sabalenka has the chance to be the last woman standing yet again in New York, with the season's final major offering a potentially soft landing after -- just like a year ago -- what has been a frustrating slam season for the Belarusian. Two years after falling short of a three-peat at the other hard court major in Melbourne, Sabalenka's chance to get one at the second comes along with what is her eighth straight appearance in the final of the AO/US hard court slam combo going back to 2023.



The only thing that remained was to determine whether Sabalenka would get the chance to avenge her AO final loss from January against Elena Rybakina, or the two major finals she's lost to Coco Gauff (at Flushing Meadows three years ago, and then Paris last year).

In her first match as the would-be #1 ranked player, Rybakina was trying to play her way into her first U.S. Open and third career major final of her career (at a third different event). Meanwhile, Gauff looked to return to the final of the event that three years ago played host to her maiden slam title run.

It's often said in sports that an injured athlete is "day-to-day." Well, when it comes to precisely what we'll get from her game, the same can be said for #4-seeded Gauff. After winning while playing at about as low a level as she possibly could and *still* have a chance to win her QF match-up with Mirra Andreeva yesterday, Gauff opened the final women's semifinal by playing about as *well* as she could vs. #2 Rybakina.

With her athleticism shining (as always), and as she even *out-served* the soon-to-be #1, Gauff was the player who was virtually untouchable in the 1st set. Rybakina managed to save a BP to avoid going down an early break in game 2, but four games later she wasn't as fortunate. Brought toward the net with a Gauff short ball, then an easy target as she was positioned at the center of the net, Rybakina pushed a volley long to give Gauff another BP chance. A wide forehand from the Kazakh officially gave Gauff the scoreboard edge at 4-2, and Coco proceeded to run with her edge to take the 1st. After a love hold for 5-2, Gauff served for the set two games later. Again, she held at love to win 6-3.

For the set, Gauff outpaced Rybakina in aces (4-1) while winning 11/15 first serves, and 11/14 on her second, and never facing a BP.



Rybakina flipped something of a switch as she went into the 2nd, though, perhaps settling into the sort of raucous atmosphere that doesn't generally come as a natural environment for her to succeed. She opened the set with a hold at 15, then went up love/30 on Gauff's serve in game 2. Gauff got the hold, but two games later saw Rybakina get her first BP chance of the night. A long Gauff forehand gave her the game. Rybakina followed up by continuing her serving clinic in the set, holding at love for 4-1 as her first serve win percentage tickled 90% effectiveness.

But Gauff wasn't done yet. Down 4-2, Gauff was given an opening as Rybakina fell behind 15/30 on serve. A good crosscourt return elicited a Rybakina error to give Gauff double BP. After missing on a drop shot attempt on BP #1, Gauff got things back on serve a point later when the Kazakh netted a backhand. Holding for 4-4, Gauff finished up a run of 11 of 14 points.

But, with about as horrendous timing as possible, Gauff's lingering nemesis -- her forehand -- intervened to alter the plot. From there, a spate of forehand errors suddenly infested Gauff's game. They gave Rybakina an easy hold in the next game, as she moved within a game of knotting the match, and then did the same in the one that followed. After her own 11-of-14 run, Gauff would be broken at 15 -- with, naturally, a final forehand UE -- to lose 8 of the last 9 points of the set, won by Rybakina at 6-4.



The 3rd set would prove to be a more competitive contest, but it would be a continual struggle on Gauff's side of the net.

Though hardly a work of art, Gauff held in a two-deuce game 2. Then, down 2-3 and love/30, she had to dig her way out of another potentially result-tipping game. Despite facing a pair of BP, both squandered by Rybakina with backhand errors, Gauff held to tie things up at 3-3.

After a Rybakina love hold, the Kazakh got a BP opportunity as Gauff missed on a forehand in the following game. A netted Gauff backhand gave Rybakina the break and the chance to serve for the final. But, up 15/30 on return, Gauff's blazing backhand passing shot clanged off Rybakina's racket to give Coco a BP, then a backhand error from the Kazakh off a Gauff return put the set back on serve.

But it would be a short-lived resurgence, as Gauff immediately went down 15/30 in the next game. A successful Rybakina volley gave her double MP. Then, after seemingly being in control of an all-court rally, Gauff missed long on an overhead put-away to end the match, a 3-6/6-4/6-4 win by Rybakina to reach her first U.S. Open final.



Thus, Rybakina now gets the chance to solidify her new #1 ranking by becoming the only two-time major winner in what has been a fairly disjointed '26 season for the top players on tour. A win from the Kazakh would leave the #1, #3 and #4 ranked players coming into this U.S. Open without slam wins on the season. Additionally, it'd be a significant points-grab that would give Rybakina a more than pretty good chance -- even with all her 4Q points to defend from her great season-ending run in '25 -- of retaining the top spot in the year-end rankings.

With the win, she'd lead #2 Sabalenka by just over 2000 points, while a Sabalenka three-peat would mean Rybakina's lead was just 626. Remember, last year, Rybakina ended the season on a 14-2 jaunt down the stretch, reaching the Wuhan 1000 QF, winning a title in Ningbo, then retiring in the Tokyo 1000 SF before winning the WTA Finals title. Sabalenka played just two events after the U.S. Open, reaching the Wuhan SF (after a win over Rybakina in the QF) and then losing to Rybakina in the WTAF final.

Less than eight months after coming back from 3-0 down in the 3rd to defeat Sabalenka in Melbourne to win her first AO title, *the* win that made her rise to #1 possible, Rybakina now stands between the soon-to-be-#2 and her third straight title in New York.

With this match-up, the two will have faced off in the five biggest hard court events over the past ten months: with Rybakina winning in the WTAF and AO finals, and Sabalenka in the Indian Wells final and Miami SF. The U.S. Open will be the "rubber match."

To the victor goes the spoils. Well, unless Aryna wins, then I guess they'll have to share them.

...the junior singles semifinals will include three Top 5 seeds, with #1 Sun Xinran and #2 Jana Kovackova joining #5-seeded Wimbledon winner Anna Pushkareva. The lone upset on Thursday featured unseeded Bannerette Chukwumelije (Melije) Clarke knocking off #8 Nana Silva.

...a possible eighth U.S. Open final match-up between Yui Kamiji and Diede de Groot remained on track after today's QF, with both the top two seeds advancing to the SF along with #4 Aniek Van Koot.

Kamiji and de Groot faced off in seven straight U.S. Open finals from 2017-23 (with de Groot winning six straight titles) then, after a Paralympic summer in '24, last year Kamiji got the win in a QF match-up in de Groot's comeback season following hip surgery. Kamiji went on to win the title.

The other QF today was the dramatic highlight, as Pastry Ksenia Chasteau defeated Wang Ziying in three sets. After failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the 3rd, with three MP, Chasteau broke Wang in the next game on her sixth overall MP to reach her second slam SF (w/ her RG final from earlier this year). The 20-year old remains the lone slam breakout performer from the new generation of women's rollers, as Lizzy de Greef (though higher ranked, at #5 to Chasteau's #8) has yet to advance out of any slam QF. De Greef lost in three sets in the 1st Round this year to de Groot.

Chasteau faces de Groot next, with the 24-time singles slam champ 3-0 in their career head-to-head.



Chasteau's quick rise should maybe come as no surprise, as the Pastry is one of the rare rollers who was actually a promising tennis player before taking up the wheelchair sport. She'd started the sport at age 4 (in 2010) in Marseille before a 2021 motorcycle accident in which she and her father lost their left legs. She began her WC tennis journey later that year, and by 2023 was the junior #1 (she won the '23 U.S. Open girls' WC crown), then took RG in '24.

In the doubles final, #1 seeds Kamiji & Zhu Zhenzhen will face off with Guo Luoyao & Momoko Ohtani, who upset #2 seeds and defending U.S. Open champs Li Xiaohui/Wang today.

Kamiji/Zhu will be trying to win a third straight major in 2026 (veteran Zhu had won zero slam titles before their teaming), as Kamiji seeks her fifth U.S. Open and 25th career major doubles win. Guo & Ohtani are both seeking their first major titles.

...the junior wheelchair final will feature a third 2026 slam final match-up (of the three competitions held, as Wimbledon still doesn't have a junior WC event) between Japan's top-seeded Seira Matsuoka and #2-seeded Belgian Luna Gryp. So far, Gryp is 2-0 in those finals, defeating Matsuoka in Melbourne and Paris.

Gryp lost last year's U.S. Open final to Bannerette Sabina Czauz, who made her debut in the women's MD this year, losing to Jinte Bos.





*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #2 Elena Rybakina/KAZ

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. (WC) Krueger/Montgomery (USA/USA)

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
Karolina Muchova/Jakub Mensik (CZE/CZE) def. #4 Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli (SUI/ITA) 6-3/1-6 [10-6]

*GIRLS SINGLES SF*
#1 Sun Xinran/CHN vs. Melije Clarke/USA
#5 Anna Pushkareva/RUS vs. #2 Jana Kovackova/CZE

*GIRLS DOUBLES SF*
#1 Makarova/Sun (RUS/CHN) vs. Berezina/Terentyeva (RUS/RUS)
Rajeshwaran Revathi/Sushkova (IND/UKR) vs. (WC) A.Penickova/K.Penickova (USA/USA)

*WHEELCHAIR SINGLES SF*
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN vs. #4 Aniek Van Koot/NED
Ksenia Chasteau/FRA vs. #2 Diede de Groot/NED

*WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 Kamiji/Zhu (JPN/CHN) vs. Guo/Ohtani (CHN/JPN)

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Seira Matsuoka/JPN vs. #2 Luna Gryp/BEL

*WHEELCHAIR JUNIOR DOUBLES FINAL*
#1 PM Lopez Meza/Matsuoka (COL/JPN) vs. #2 Gjerseth/Heald (SWE/USA)









...SIGH, ESPN IS SUCH A CELEBRITY WHORE... ON DAY 12:


Any celebrity sighted in the crowd, no matter how nominal, managed to get a shot (or three or four) during tonight's SF matches. As if it matters.

The practice is almost as off-putting -- well, not really -- as the relentless favoritism shown to the U.S. players during on-set discussions, as if everyone listening desires the U.S. players to win every match *just because* they're U.S. players. Yeah, I don't think *real* tennis fans are built that way... but ESPN doesn't really try to play to anything more than casual or first-time viewers most of the time.

That said, the ONE time the constant celebrity cut-in shots worked: after Gauff broke Rybakina when she served for the match, Michelle Obama was seen shaking her head, with an "of *course* she breaks there... she's Coco" expression on her face. It was THE reaction of the moment, and the one everyone else surely *felt*, as well.
























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*MOST 2020-2026 WTA FINAL MATCHUPS *
7...RYBAKINA/SABALENKA - 2023,24,25,26 = Rybakina 4-2
5...Sabalenka/Swiatek - 2022,23,24 = Swiatek 4-1
4...Gauff/Sabalenka - 2023,25,26 = tied 1-1
3...Pegula/Sabalenka - 2024,25 = Sabalenka 3-0
3...Pegula/Swiatek - 2023,25 = Swiatek 2-1

*RECENT WTA #1 vs. #2 MATCH-UPS*
2019 WTA Finals SF - #1 Barty d. #2 Ka.Pliskova
2023 Stuttgart Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2023 Madrid Final - #2 Sabalenka d. #1 Swiatek
2023 WTA Finals SF - #2 Swiatek d. #1 Sabalenka
2024 Madrid Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2024 Rome Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2025 Roland Garros Final - #2 Gauff d. #1 Sabalenka
2026 U.S. Open Final - #1 Sabalenka vs #2 Rybakina

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s*
9 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (4-4)
6 - Iga Swiatek, POL (6-0)
4 - ELENA RYBAKINA, KAZ (2-1)
3 - Coco Gauff, USA (2-1)
3 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (0-3)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-0)
2 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2-0)
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2-0)
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA (1-1)
2 - Amanda Anisimova, USA (0-2)
2 - Karolina Muchova, CZE (0-2)
2 - Jasmine Paolini, ITA (0-2)
[SLAM SF 2020-26]
15 - SABALENKA (9-6)*
9 - Swiatek (6-3)
7 - GAUFF (3-4)*
5 - RYBAKINA (4-1)*
5 - Muchova (2-3)
4 - PEGULA (1-3)*
[2026 SLAM SF BY NATION]
4 - USA (0-4) - Gauff, Pegula
3 - UKR (0-3)
2 - CZE (2-0)
2 - BLR (2-0) - Sabalenka
2 - KAZ (2-0) - Rybakina
2 - RUS (1-1)
1 - POL (1-0)


*MOST WTA FINALS in 2026*
5 - ARYNA SABALENKA (3-1)
5 - ELENA RYBAKINA (2-2)
5 - Jessie Pegula (2-3)
4 - Mirra Andreeva (3-1)
4 - Karolina Muchova (2-2)

*MOST TOP 10 WINS in 2026 (#1 wins)*
9 - Rybakina(1)
8 - Kostyuk, Svitolina
7 - Eala, Pegula(1), Sabalenka
6 - Muchova
5 - Gauff, Mboko
[hard court]
8 - Rybakina(1)
7 - Sabalenka
6 - Pegula
5 - Mboko, Svitolina
4 - Eala, Kostyuk
3 - Bencic, Gauff, Muchova, Swiatek

*RECENT U.S. OPEN "IT" WINNERS*
2017 [Jr. Wild Card] Coco Gauff, USA
2018 [Court] (new) Louis Armstrong Stadium
2019 [Canadian] Bianca Andreescu, CAN
2020 [Champion Moms] Vera Zvonareva/RUS and Jordanne Whiley/GBR
2021 [Teens] Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
2022 [Diede Slam] Diede de Groot, NED [WC]
2023 [Summer of...] Coco Gauff, USA
2024 [Bannerette Teen] Iva Jovic, USA
2025 [Crusher Sisters] Alena & Jana Kovackova, CZE
2026 [New #1] Elena Rybakina, KAZ

*RECENT U.S. OPEN "LAST BANNERETTE STANDING"*
2017 Sloane Stephens (W)
2018 Serena Williams (RU)
2019 Serena Williams (RU)
2020 Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady (SF)
2021 Shelby Rogers (4th)
2022 Coco Gauff and Jessie Pegula (QF)
2023 Coco Gauff (W)
2024 Jessie Pegula (RU)
2025 Amanda Anisimova (RU)
2026 Coco Gauff and Jessie Pegula (SF)

*RECENT U.S. OPEN "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS*
2016 Madison Keys, USA
2017 "The Late Show starring Madison Keys"
2018 Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
2019 Serena Williams, USA
2020 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 Maria Sakkari, GRE
2022 "Serena Williams: The End"
2023 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2025 "Exquisitely Back in the City" (Sharapova receives HoF ring)
2026 Sofia Kenin vs. Venus Williams latest 1r finish (2:02 a.m.)




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TOP QUALIFIER: Lucie Havlickova, CZE
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #7 Karolina Muchova/CZE (follows up MX title w/ 4 games lost 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): (Q) Zheng Qinwen/CHN (comebacks from 5-0 in back-to-back sets over two rounds)
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #31 Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Mai Hontama/JPN 5-7/7-6(6)/6-1 - saved 7 MP, four at 5-4 in 2nd set and three more at triple MP at 6-3 in TB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Cristina Bucsa/ESP def. (Q) Himeno Sakatsume/JPN 7-6(6)/6-7(0)/7-6(10-6) - three tie-breaks; Bucsa served 5-4 w/ 2 MP in 3rd, then again at 6-5
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - #14 Iva Jovic/USA def. #17 Alex Eala/PHI 7-5/3-6/7-5 - 18 & 21-year olds duel in 3-hr. battle under the lights on Ashe; combine for 78 winners, not blinking under pressure of big stage)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA (def. Veronika Erjavec/SLO)
FIRST SEED OUT: #27 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (1r- lost to Kamila Rakhimova/UZB)
FIRST CAREER SLAM MD WINS: Polina Iatcenko/RUS (1st MD), Himeno Sakatsume/JPN (2nd), Lilli Tagger/AUT (2nd)
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: Nadia Podoroska/ARG, Mananchaya Sawangkaew/THA (both 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER MD WINS: D.Semenistaja/LAT (1r-L)
UPSET QUEENS: Spain
REVELATION LADIES: Great Britain
NATION OF POOR SOULS: SUI (0-3 1st Rd.; #12 Bencic hightest seed out; Teichmann w/d)
CRASH & BURN: Madison Keys/USA (3r- blew 5-0 lead in 3rd set vs. Zheng/CHN, had a MP)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEW YORK: Madison Keys/USA (2r- saved 5 MP vs. Bondar/HUN; Bondar 2 MP at 5-2 in 3rd, 3 more at 5-3, then served for again at 5-4; Bondar led 5-3 in MTB, Keys won last 7 points)
IT ("New #1"): Elena Rybakina/KAZ
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: x
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Zheng Qinwen/CHN (QF)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Sofia Kenin/USA, Taylah Preston/AUS, Sloane Stephens/USA (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST BANNERETTE STANDING: Coco Gauff/USA and Jessie Pegula/USA (both SF)
COMEBACK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Pegula, (WC)
DOUBLES STAR: x
BIG APPLE BANNERETTE BREAKTHROUGH: Iva Jovic/USA
BROADWAY-BOUND: Naomi Osaka (and the nominee for "Best Costume Design" is...)
LADY OF THE EVENING: Sofia Kenin def. Venus Williams in 2:02 a.m. finish (latest 1r)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
BIG CITY ROLLER: x







All for Day 12. More tomorrow.
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