Zelda is a powerful sorceress and she even has the ability to transform into Sheik. As Sheik, Zelda is a very quick aerial fighter who can unleash a flurry of blows against any opponent. That being said, Ryu has experience fighting all kinds of hand to hand opponents and I wouldn’t expect Zelda to be able to keep up with him for long. Ryu has more stamina as well as raw power. He would quickly prove who the more experienced fighter is. Ryu wins.
DReager1.com 
mmm… no. Zelda runs circles around Ryu. im sorry, but Zelda has enough power and magic to take Ryu out. Ryu would win, if Zelda would let him get close enough.
I’m inclined to think that Ryu is actually the faster fighter. Sheik’s quick, but in terms of actual speed, Ryu should have this. He’s also not that bad in a long range fight so it’ll be tough for Zelda to fully keep her advantage here.