Preview: US Open: Coco Gauff vs. Elena Rybakina - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Fresh off Wednesday's comeback quarter-final wins, Coco Gauff and new world No. 1 Elena Rybakina will face off in Thursday's semi-final for a place in Saturday's title match.

Gauff saved two match points en route to beating Mirra Andreeva in the last eight, hours after Rybakina beat resurgent Qinwen Zheng to reach the last four and thereby supplant Aryna Sabalenka atop the WTA rankings.

Match preview

Having come through the draw without dropping a set, Gauff showed her trademark battling qualities to overcome French Open champion Andreeva in three sets.

The Russian No. 1 repeatedly targeted the 2023 champion's forehand wing for long spells and twice came close to sealing victory over the two-time Grand Slam champion, who saved both match points in the second-set tiebreak.

Buoyed by the home crowd, the 22-year-old turned the screw as Andreeva wilted in the decider, and the fourth seed secured a 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 triumph at the expense of the Roland Garros champion.

With that win, Gauff has now extended her winning streak to 11 matches, having claimed the title in Cincinnati before heading to New York, and the American No. 2's momentum is undeniable ahead of a third meeting with Rybakina.

While Gauff can no longer become the top-ranked player after the US Open, she undoubtedly has a genuine shot at lifting her second title in New York and third overall.

Standing in the way of a second US Open final appearance is Rybakina, who will replace Sabalenka as the highest-ranked player on the WTA Tour when the rankings are updated next week.

It has been a long time coming for the Kazakh star, who had chances to displace the Belarusian at the French Open, Wimbledon and, most recently, in Cincy, under certain conditions.

However, the 27-year-old has finally achieved the feat for the first time in her career, becoming the second-oldest player after Angelique Kerber (28 years, 238 days) to rise to the top of the rankings.

Like Gauff, Rybakina had not dropped a set before the quarters, but an inspired Zheng snatched the opener to end the second seed's run; however, the two-time champion responded to secure a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win.

With the pressure of displacing Sabalenka now lifted, the 13-time WTA champion seeks two more wins to claim her third Slam title and 14th overall.

Having never made it this far in seven previous appearances in Flushing, Rybakina has now moved within two wins of reigning supreme in New York.

However, she must come through Thursday's Gauff test to battle Sabalenka or Jessica Pegula in Saturday's final.

Tournament so far

Coco Gauff:

First round: vs. Zeynep Sonmez 6-3 6-4

Second round: vs. Paula Badosa 6-4 7-6(5)

Third round: vs. Cristina Bucsa 6-3 6-4

Fourth round: vs. Iva Jovic 6-1 6-4

Quarter-final: vs. Mirra Andreeva 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2

Elena Rybakina:

First round: vs. Thea Frodin 6-3 6-2

Second round: vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-4

Third round: vs. Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-6(6) 6-3

Fourth round: vs. Naomi Osaka 6-1 6-4

Quarter-final: vs. Qinwen Zheng 3-6 6-1 6-4

Head-to-head

Canadian Open (2024) - Semi-final: Rybakina 5-7 6-2 6-2

Canadian Open (2024) - Second round: Gauff 6-4 6-7(8) 7-6(3)

Gauff and Rybakina are level at 1-1 ahead of their third meeting on the women's tour, with their previous matches played on hard courts.

Thursday's US Open encounter is a rematch of the pair's semi-final tussle in Canada last month, when Rybakina overturned a first-set loss to win in three sets.

Their previous meeting also took place in Canada in 2022, when Gauff overcame the Kazakh star in two hours and 49 minutes.

We say: Gauff to win in three sets

Both players are in excellent form, and previous meetings going to three sets may be an indicator of how Thursday may play out.

Much of the semi-final will hinge on how Gauff handles the Rybakina serve; however, the American's tendency to force opponents to play one extra ball stands her in good stead in that regard.

As such, we are backing the fourth seed to eliminate the No. 1 in waiting and reach a second US Open final.