Flushing away the demons: Meet your US Open women's finalists

A new queen of New York will be crowned at Flushing Meadows on Saturday, where second seed Aryna Sabalenka and sixth seed Jessica Pegula will emerge onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium courts with a coveted trophy engraving on the line.

The two women have never contested a Grand Slam final before, but they are all too familiar with one another having met seven times on the WTA Tour down the years, with Sabalenka triumphing in five of those battles.

The Belarusian - seeking to go one better than her loss to Coco Gauff in the 2023 showpiece, which triggered a racquet-smashing session backstage - has now partially avenged that crushing defeat to a home favourite, knocking out her fellow American Emma Navarro in straight sets in the semi-finals.

Navarro . . .