Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the women's singles semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

NEW YORK — Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was simply too good for Jessica Pegula yet again, winning their U.S. Open semifinal 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday night in a rematch of last year's final .

The No. 1-seeded Sabalenka moved one victory away from becoming the first woman to claim consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams got three in a row from 2012 to 2014.

On Saturday, Sabalenka will meet No. 8 Amanda Anisimova or No. 23 Naomi Osaka for the trophy .

This matchup was quite close, far closer than th

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