The crowd wanted Coco Gauff but got Elena Rybakina instead

Elena Rybakina Silences Arthur Ashe as Coco Gauff’s US Open Run Ends

Sandego.net – Arthur Ashe Stadium arrived ready to celebrate Coco Gauff, but Elena Rybakina left it with the victory and a place in the US Open final. In a three-set semifinal defined by shifting momentum and a thunderous home crowd, Rybakina defeated Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Gauff had become the last American woman still standing after Jessica Pegula’s earlier loss to Aryna Sabalenka. Yet the support for the 2023 US Open champion was about more than national pride. Gauff has a special connection with the New York event, where she won her first grand slam title at age 19, and Arthur Ashe has long embraced her energetic presence and resilience.

“No disrespect to other tournaments,” Gauff said after the match, “but every US Open is kind of where my mind is.”

That affinity was evident from the opening set. The stadium repeatedly rang with chants of “Co-co! Co-co!” after Gauff claimed the fourth game, as spectators sensed a comfortable night might be ahead. Rybakina, however, absorbed the noise and gradually changed the direction of the contest.

A composed response from the new world No. 1

Rybakina entered the match as the new No. 1 player in women’s tennis, but she was playing her first nighttime match on Arthur Ashe. The scale and energy of the building can be overwhelming, particularly when the overwhelming majority of fans have chosen their favorite. Rybakina appeared largely unaffected.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere,” Rybakina said. “Even if the crowd mostly was for Coco.”

Her measured approach became increasingly important as the match tightened. Gauff’s athleticism and intensity gave her opportunities to push back, while Rybakina’s calm power and consistency kept applying pressure. The Kazakhstani player steadily fought her way from behind, turning a difficult opening set into a battle that required Gauff to defend nearly every point with urgency.

For much of the final set, the crowd remained invested in the possibility of a comeback. A sharply voiced “Come on, Coco!” cut through the stadium as Gauff’s tournament life began to slip away. It was encouragement, but it also carried the tension of a crowd recognizing that the match had become precarious.

Gauff continued to resist. She broke Rybakina’s serve in the deciding set to extend the contest, prompting fans to rise from their seats. The response reflected both appreciation for the fight and a renewed belief that the home favorite could yet recover.

Speed, suspense and the final point

Live tennis can transform from explosive to agonizingly deliberate in an instant. Some rallies pass in a blur of serves, returns and reflex volleys. Others seem to stretch out, allowing players and spectators alike to follow the path of a high ball and anticipate the next strike before it arrives.

That contrast played out repeatedly during the semifinal. There were points in which Gauff had enough time to assess a high volley before attacking it, and others when a fast exchange forced her to rely on instinct. In one key sequence, she recognized that Rybakina’s power could work against her and allowed a driven ball to travel long rather than attempting a risky reply.

But there was no time for a final adjustment on match point. Gauff’s desperate volley sailed just beyond the line, ending the contest suddenly. Rybakina had reached the final, while the player most of Arthur Ashe had come to see was out.

The size of the stadium makes its emotional swings especially striking. Arthur Ashe is a vast venue, built for grand occasions, yet it can also reveal intimate moments of disappointment. Even from a distance, the change in a player’s posture can be visible: shoulders that had been prepared for the next rally loosen after a lost point, first briefly and then with the heavier finality that comes when there are no more points left to play.

A crowd’s disappointment, and a finalist’s opportunity

The US Open’s night sessions are designed for drama. The lights, music, celebrity-filled stands and collective reaction of thousands of people can make a tennis match feel larger than the score alone. That atmosphere helps casual viewers quickly understand the stakes, but it can also create a difficult setting for the player cast as the outsider.

Rybakina handled that role with composure. Still catching her breath after the match, she acknowledged the crowd’s hopes.

“I know you guys wanted Coco to win,” Rybakina said.

She described herself as lucky, though her performance showed the discipline and nerve required to defeat a player with the entire stadium behind her. By the time she addressed the fans, many had already begun leaving, their exit almost as swift as the final point.

Gauff also gathered her belongings quickly after the loss. Her defeat ended an emotionally charged campaign at the tournament that matters deeply to her, while Rybakina moved on to face Sabalenka in the final. New York did not get the ending it wanted, but Rybakina earned the chance to write the tournament’s final chapter.