Elena Rybakina comes from set down to beat Coco Gauff in US Open semi-final

[p]In Saturday's final [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Rybakina[/a] will try to deal another blow to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Sabalenka[/a], having knocked her out of the number one world ranking just by reaching the semi-finals.[/p][p]"[b]I feel like I definitely need to step my game up, serve much better than today and stay aggressive,[/b]" Rybakina said of her looming clash with Sabalenka.[/p][embed guid="c145eb48-3c20-4c38-b28d-cf655f07673a" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp98Ok5E_5k" social-type="youtube" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauff-coco/f5BXmEH6/"]Gauff[/a]'s bid to return to the final for the first time since she defeated Sabalenka for the 2023 title had got off to a smooth start, with the American seizing the initiative [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/gauff-c-f5BXmEH6/rybakina-e-UDzElXdm/?mid=EcWMiPz8"]in the opening set[/a] with a break to go 4-2 up.[/p][p]She held to love to take a 5-2 lead and then held in the ninth game to take a one set lead.[/p][p]But Rybakina hit back with an early break of serve in the second set for a 3-1 lead and held to go 4-1 up.[/p][p]Gauff responded superbly to claw her way back into contention with a break to make it 4-3 before holding to square it a 4-4.[/p][image alt="Gauff vs Rybakina: Match stats" id="45aa065c-471a-40b4-becc-34e8ef3a40a8" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="7f5ea5fc-d223-488a-9b56-c370a03b810a" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Yet she was unable to make the most of her fightback and double-faulted in the 10th game to hand two set points to Rybakina at 15-40. Rybakina pounced on that chance to take the match to a third set.[/p][p]The decisive set followed a similar pattern.[/p][p]Gauff conceded a break to trail 5-3 and leave Rybakina serving for the match.[/p][p]But the American broke back immediately to make it 5-4 to get it back on serve.[/p][embed guid="1b415a0e-7fa7-4284-8ab3-354b1ed49206" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K3JIYrui54&t=9s" social-type="youtube" /][p]Again, though, Gauff was unable to capitalise, and a deft volley from Rybakina left her with two match points at 15-40, before Gauff then hit a wide-open smash long to hand her opponent victory.[/p][p]"[b]It was such a cool third set - I feel like I was a little bit lucky on her serve,[/b]" Rybakina said. "[b]A couple of deep returns, one mistake from her, it went quickly my way...it was a real battle.[/b]"[/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]