Top Four Seeds Reach US Open Semi-Finals for First Time Since 1975

“Oh Wow” That was the reaction of Coco Gauff, as she sounded surprised when she learned she was a part of a semi-final line-up at the US Open, the likes of which has not been seen in more than 50 years. It is for the first time since 1975 that the top four seeds in the Women’s singles draw have reached the last-four stage of a major at the Flushing Meadows.

After 51 years, the stars have aligned once again with the top four seeds - Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, all of whom survived three-set thrillers to reach the semi-final to create a thrilling line-up.

Former British number one Annabel Croft told BBC Radio 5 Live, “How amazing - it doesn’t get much better than that does it?” She further added, “It has felt fantastic the whole tournament. I just feel like I have been more enthused about looking forward to the match-ups in this Grand Slam than any I can remember.”

The semi-final line-up at the US Open 2026 is in fact the first time that the top-four ranking players in the world reach the women’s semi finals of any Grand Slam since the Wimbledon 2009. The star-studded semi-final line of the Women’s Singles is a shift away from the unpredictable landscape of the women’s game that has been observed in recent years.

Since the start of 2020, there have been 13 different Grand Slam women’s singles champions, as compared to just seven on the men’s side. The top seed at the tournament and the two-time defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka will take on American Jessica Pegula in her semi-final match on Thursday, while Rybakina, who will replace Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings on Monday will take on number four seed Coco Gauff.