On the storied courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Aryna Sabalenka moved one step closer to a place in history, defeating Jessica Pegula to reach a US Open final that will pit the world's two best players against one another. The Belarusian seeks to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to claim three consecutive US Open titles — a lineage that speaks to the rarest kind of sustained excellence. Her opponent, Elena Rybakina, arrives not merely as a challenger but as a disruptor, having already dethroned Sabalenka as World No. 1 by reaching this final. What unfolds on Saturday is not