Elena Rybakina rallied past Coco Gauff 3-6 6-4 6-4 on Thursday night and will attempt to take Sabalenka's trophy away on Saturday after already dethroning the Belarusian atop the rankings.
Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula 7-5 6-2 in the first semi-final to keep her dream alive of winning three consecutive titles to match Serena Williams.
"No complaints," Sabalenka said. "I'm just super happy that I was able to pull out such tennis," after running away with the second set after a pretty even opening first half of the match.
The top seed relied on her usual power to chip away at Pegula, sending over 29 winners and seven aces before closing out with an unreturnable shot deep in the American's territory.
Third seed Pegula, runner-up in 2024, started Thursday's match with a poised performance but eventually succumbed to the Belarusian's power, as a bevy of costly mistakes in the second set undermined her best efforts.
"I was so desperate for the win, I wanted it badly," said Sabalenka, who will feature in the title match for a fourth straight year, playing either 2023 champion Coco Gauff or second seed Elena Rybakina
An icy-veined Pegula got off to a near-pristine start, saving an early break point with a fine forehand winner, as Sabalenka struggled to rein in her frustrations, whacking her racket on the court after a double fault in the ninth game.
The defending champion threw her instrument to the ground as Pegula held her serve in the 10th, but hit her stride as she broke her opponent from the baseline on set point.
She used her best weapon to her advantage again to go up 3-1 in the second set, firing off a forehand winner from the baseline on break point, as Pegula struggled to find her early polish before Sabalenka broke her again on match point.
Rybakina overpowered Coco Gauff to stay on course for a third grand slam crown.
Gauff absorbed relentless pressure and stayed strong from the back to draw errors from the Kazakh, breaking in the sixth game and taking the opening set in front of a roaring crowd.
Rybakina capitalised on some sloppy play by the fourth-seeded American in the second set to level the match and silence the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Rybakina, 27, gained control with her power and broke to go 5-3 ahead in the decider. Gauff hit back with a break of her own but her comeback bid faltered when she could not hold serve, as Rybakina broke to close out the win.
with AP
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