The Kazakh star recovered from a slow start to defeat home favourite Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a gripping semi-final at Flushing Meadows and move within one victory of claiming her third Grand Slam title.
Rybakina will now face Sabalenka in the final after the Belarusian star overcame American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2earlier in the evening.
Sabalenka is chasing history as she bids to become the first woman in years to win the US Open three consecutive times.
Rybakina turns the tide against Gauff
Gauff made the stronger start, feeding off the energy of a passionate home crowd that included former US First Lady Michelle Obama.
The American broke in the sixth game and successfully absorbed Rybakina’s early pressure before taking the opening set 6-3.
However, Rybakina responded brilliantly in the second set, taking advantage of Gauff’s errors to level the match and force a decisive third set.
The Australian Open champion then seized control of the decider with her powerful groundstrokes and broke Gauff to move 5-3 ahead.
Gauff immediately fought back with a break of her own, raising hopes of another dramatic comeback.
But Rybakina held her nerve when it mattered most, breaking Gauff again to seal a hard-fought victory and book her place in the final.
Rybakina praises Gauff after dramatic win
Speaking on court after the match, Rybakina acknowledged the difficulty of facing Gauff and praised the American’s powerful second serve.
“Coco is a great player. It’s always tough to play her,” Rybakina said.
She revealed that she had to remain positive after falling behind and remind herself to keep fighting.
“I took a deep breath, tried to talk positive with myself and just told myself I need to fight and try to show good tennis.”
Gauff left disappointed despite strong summer
Gauff admitted the defeat was painful despite the progress she has made during the summer.
The American said her father reminded her of the achievements she had already accomplished, but she admitted that losing at this stage of a Grand Slam made it difficult to take comfort from them.
“I don’t care about the summer,” Gauff said. “It hurts.”
Nevertheless, the former US Open champion insisted she would use the defeat as another learning experience as she continues her pursuit of major titles.
Sabalenka keeps three-peat dream alive.