World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, who will officially become No. 1 on Monday, won her US Open 2026 semifinal against American Coco Gauff (4) – 3:6, 6:4, 6:4. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The head-to-head record between the 27-year-old Rybakina and the 22-year-old Gauff stood at 1:1 before today. Both matches took place on hard courts in Toronto. In 2022, the American won – 6:4, 6:7 (8:10), 7:6 (7:3). In 2026, also in three sets, the Kazakh won – 5:7, 6:2, 6:2. The opponents played the maximum possible number of sets this time as well. Moreover, according to a spontaneously established tradition, Coco won the first set.
In the US Open semifinal, our tennis player, unlike her opponent, was playing for the first time. And in the first set on Arthur Ashe Stadium, she felt quite uncertain. 18 unforced errors and just one ace (against four for Gauff) – a vivid illustration of that. After losing her serve in the sixth game, Elena lost the next two of her opponent's serves to love. The set ended without a hint of a comeback break – 3:6.
In the second set, Rybakina managed to stabilize her game. Errors became noticeably fewer, and confidence appeared. After making a break in the fourth game and confirming it, the Kazakh led 4:1. And then unexpectedly lost three games in a row – 4:4. But she managed to edge out Gauff, despite the frenzied support of the American by the stands, taking her serve in the 10th game – 6:4.
The packed stands, actively cheering for Gauff, continued to rage in the decisive set as well. Often, we note, shouting and hindering Rybakina's serve. And yet Elena, in spite of circumstances, showing an iron character, defeated everyone. Her opponent, her fans, herself, finally. 3:6, 6:4, 6:4 in 2 hours 8 minutes. Ace count – 5:4, double faults – 2:4, total points won – 88:82.
In the US Open 2026 final, Rybakina will contest the prestigious trophy with Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian has won here two years in a row, in 2024 and 2025.
Our junior Damir Zhalgasbay continues his fight at US Open 2026. The Kazakh, in tandem with American Safir Azam, advanced to the semifinal today. In the main draw, all representatives of Kazakh tennis, except Rybakina, have packed their rackets.
The US Open tennis championship is an annual Grand Slam tournament on hard courts. The last of the four majors in the calendar year. The total prize fund – $108 million – is a record for majors.