Aryna Sabalenka (AP Photo)

Aryna Sabalenka is one win away from a historic U.S. Open hat-trick after the top seed powered past Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinal on Thursday night.For much of the opening set, there was little to separate the two players. But once Sabalenka found her opening, the match changed dramatically. She began attacking Pegula's second serve with greater aggression and carried that momentum into a dominant second set, producing some of her best tennis of the tournament.“No complaints,” Sabalenka said. “I’m just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis.”The Belarusian will play either No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina or No. 4 Coco Gauff in Saturday's final. A victory would make Sabalenka the first player since Serena Williams in 2012-14 to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles.Sabalenka is also set to surrender the No. 1 ranking to Rybakina next week, ending her run of 99 consecutive weeks at the top. But she has made it clear that another trophy in New York would make giving up the ranking far easier to accept.And based on the way she dismantled Pegula, Sabalenka will enter Saturday's final with plenty of belief.

Sabalenka turns a tight contest into a one-sided finish

The semifinal initially followed the pattern of Sabalenka's previous two meetings with Pegula at the business end of the U.S. Open. Their 2024 final and 2025 semifinal were both closely fought for long periods, but this time Sabalenka eventually found another gear.She finished with 29 winners compared with Pegula's 12 and dominated the American on second-serve points, winning 14 of 19.“I was so desperate for the win, I wanted it badly,” Sabalenka said.The victory extended Sabalenka's winning streak at the U.S. Open to 19 matches. She has not lost at Flushing Meadows since Gauff defeated her in the 2023 final.The result also maintained the dominance of the tournament's top four seeds. For the first time since 1975, all four women's semifinalists came from the top four positions in the draw.Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff have already collected multiple major titles, while Pegula continues to chase the first Grand Slam trophy of her career.

Pegula hangs on before Sabalenka finds the breakthrough

Pegula, a Buffalo, New York native, had hoped her strongest surface and favourite Grand Slam would finally provide the setting for a maiden major title.She managed to stay with Sabalenka early on. The score was 4-4 after only 25 minutes, while Sabalenka began to show signs of frustration as she struggled to make an impact on Pegula's serve.After one error, the No. 1 seed turned towards her coaches' box in visible disgust.Pegula had won 18 of 20 points on her first serve when she came out to serve at 5-6. But that was where Sabalenka finally broke the deadlock.A backhand winner gave her the first opening. Pegula then pushed a forehand long before Sabalenka produced another winner to earn set point. She closed out the set two points later, turning a finely balanced contest on its head.The hard courts that suit Pegula also happen to provide the perfect stage for Sabalenka's power game, and the Belarusian began making that difference count.

Pegula has no answer as Sabalenka takes control

Sabalenka struck again in Pegula's second service game of the second set. She eventually pounced on a 77 mph second serve, driving a forehand back at 90 mph. Pegula could not recover in time, and Sabalenka moved ahead 3-1.It was exactly the kind of pressure Sabalenka had said she enjoyed facing against Pegula.The American entered the semifinal having recorded the most wins on tour this season, while also sharing the lead for hard-court victories. Sabalenka had described her as the kind of opponent who could test her and force her to respond whenever she was put under pressure.On Thursday, Sabalenka supplied those answers repeatedly.Pegula's frustration boiled over late in the match. After Sabalenka produced a powerful low passing shot that Pegula could only volley into the net, the No. 3 seed threw her racket onto the court.