Sloane Stephens beats Venus Williams and will face Madison Keys in an all-American US Open final

On Saturday one of the pair will join the likes of Maureen Connolly, Helen Wills Moody, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Venus and Serena Williams in the history books

Stephens and Keys will face off in the US Open final (Getty)

The most successful nation in the history of women’s tennis has not crowned a new Grand Slam singles champion for 16 years but on Saturday it will be the turn of Sloane Stephens or Madison Keys to join the likes of Maureen Connolly, Helen Wills Moody, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Venus and Serena Williams in the sport’s history books.

Since Jennifer Capriati won the Australian Open in 2002 the Williams sisters have been the only Americans to win Grand Slam singles titles, but the US Open will welcome a new home-grown champion after 24-year-old Stephens and 22-year-old Keys reached their first major finals here on Thursday in contrasting fashions.

On a day when four home players contested the semi-finals for the first time since 1981, Stephens finally lived up to her reputation as a natural successor to the sisters when she beat 37-year-old Venus 6-1, 0-6, 7-5 while 22-year-old Keys crushed Coco Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2. The two African-Americans will meet in the final almost 60 years to the day since Althea Gibson became the first black woman to win this title.

With her sister absent because of the birth of her first child, it had been left to Venus to attempt to write another chapter in the remarkable history of the Williams family. She nearly did it, too, after going within two points of reaching her third Grand Slam final of the year, having finished runner-up at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

After the first two sets were shared, with Williams playing woefully in the first and Stephens performing almost as badly in the second, the two women contested a superb decider. While Williams struck the ball with enormous power and accuracy, Stephens, a wonderful athlete, chased down ball after ball before winning the match with a series of spectacular winners.

Williams appeared to be on the brink of victory when Stephens served at 4-5 and 30-30 in the final set, but her younger rival won a stunning rally with a superb backhand winner down the line and proceeded to level at 5-5.

Unseeded Stephens is into the US Open final (Getty)

Stephens broke Williams to love in the next game, combining remarkable defence with glorious winning shots, including an inch-perfect lob and a delightful deft cross-court forehand after chasing down a ball which had clipped the top of the net.

Having served out for her victory, Stephens joined the applause for Williams as the seven-times Grand Slam champion left Arthur Ashe Stadium. “We are following in her footsteps,” Stephens said later. “She has represented the game so well as an African-American woman. Maddie and I are honoured to be here.”

Last month Stephens was ranked outside the world’s top 900 as she began a comeback after a 10-month break because of a foot problem which had required surgery. Following first-round defeats in her first two comeback tournaments she reached the semi-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati before exceeding all expectations here.

Williams last won the US Open in 2001 (Getty)

"When I started my comeback, if somebody told me I was going to make two semis and a Grand Slam final, I would probably have passed out, which is what I feel like right now,” Stephens said. “I don’t know how I got here - just hard work, that’s it.”

Asked what she had learned about herself during her long period away from the game, Stephens said: “I don’t give up. I'm not just going to give it to someone. I’m not just going to let them take it from me. I’m going to make sure I give everything that I have, and I leave everything on the court at all times.”

Keys has also had serious physical issues of late. The world No 16 has had two wrist operations since December, the most recent of them after the French Open, but has finally lived up to her reputation as a player with the potential to win Grand Slam titles.

Keys has bounced back from injury (Getty)

With a big game and a particularly powerful serve, Keys has the capacity to beat the very best. Her only concern going into the final could be the thigh injury for which she received treatment late in her semi-final victory.

Vandeweghe is another big-hitter, but never got her game going. She won only four points in losing the first five games in just 13 minutes, recovered to make the second set more competitive but still lost after only an hour and six minutes.

The world No 22 was in tears afterwards. “Madison played an unbelievable match,” she said. “I didn't really have much to do with anything out there."

Keys said she had played “really, really well” and added: “It was one of those days where I came out and I was in the zone. I just forced myself to stay there. I knew I was going to have to play really well in order to beat her. I feel like once things started going, it just fell into place. Luckily I was able to close it out the way that I did.”

Looking ahead to the final, Keys said: “Sloane is a new person right now. She’s really loving being out on the court again and she’s obviously playing really well. I’m really excited we get to play each other in a US Open final. It’s pretty cool.”