US Open women's final preview: Gauff takes on Sabalenka
The American was one of the most in-form players coming into the tournament, having won her career's two biggest titles in Washington DC and Cincinnati. She has extended her fabulous summer on home soil by becoming the youngest US woman to reach the Open's final since Serena Williams in 1999.
She has won 17 of 18 matches since the disappointing first-round loss to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon, including beating four major champions in this period. The sixth seed was forced to play three-set matches in three of the first four rounds, but would be pleased to have cleared the last two in straight sets.
There have been three different US women who have lifted the title in Flushing Meadows in the 21st century, with Sloane Stephens being the latest in 2017. She will try to join that list after becoming the youngest woman to appear in multiple Grand Slam finals since Maria Sharapova at the 2006 US Open.
The 2017 US Open junior runner-up holds a 5-1 record in tour-level finals, with that sole defeat coming at last year's Roland-Garros to Iga Swiatek (6-1, 6-3). However, she would be encouraged by having won all three 2023 finals in emphatic straight sets, dropping a meagre 14 games across six sets.
Aryna Sabalenka dashed the hopes of an all-American final after pulling off a stunning comeback against 2017 finalist Madison Keys. After getting whitewashed in the first set, the second seed went down 3-5 (0-15) in the second set and 2-4 in the third before surging back 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5).
It is a testament to her fighting spirit that she served to stay twice in a row in the third set but won 14 of the last 19 points to claim the win. Until this point, the Belarusian had been sailing in this championship, winning the first five rounds in straight sets and not losing more than five games in any.
She arrived in New York having lost three high-profile semifinals in a row, at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and Cincinnati, each of them in winnable three-set affairs. However, the 25-year-old had been on a rampage mode throughout this season with titles at the Australian Open and Madrid.
The soon-to-be world No. 1 already had a brilliant record in Flushing Meadows, winning the 2019 doubles title and reaching the semifinals in 2021 and 2022 in singles. With a 50-10 win-loss in the season, she is eyeing to outperform compatriot Victoria Azarenka's 0-3 record in US Open finals.
She is about to play her 24th career final with a 13-10 history, including beating Elena Rybakina, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in her lone major showpiece in Melbourne. Curiously enough, her final performance on US soil stands at 1-3; the 2018 New Haven title happened to be her maiden career triumph.
Head-to-head: Coco Gauff leads 3-2. The teenager won three of their first four encounters, including edging at 2022 Toronto, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(4). Aryna Sabalenka did narrow the deficit in the Indian Wells quarterfinal this March with a 6-4, 6-0 victory in 64 minutes without facing a breakpoint at all.
