Rybakina beats Sabalenka in three sets to win first US Open title
Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open in New York.
It is her first US Open title and her third Grand Slam title, after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier in 2026, as reported by BBC. The win also made the Kazakh the new women's world No. 1. She replaced Sabalenka at the top.
Rybakina struck first. She took the opening set 6-4 with clean, flat hitting from the baseline. Sabalenka answered in the second. She took it 7-5 to force a decider. Then Rybakina reset.
The third set was one-way traffic. Rybakina won it 6-2. No wobble. No tiebreak, the first-to-seven shootout used when a set reaches 6-6, needed.
That last set told the story. Rybakina serves big and returns early. When her timing is right, rallies stay short. Sabalenka likes that pace too. This time she could not hold it.
There was extra weight on the result. Rybakina was already guaranteed to become No. 1 regardless of the final score. She secured the ranking a day before her semi-final, then walked out for the final as the champion-in-waiting for the top spot.
For Sabalenka, the defeat ended a long reign in New York. She arrived as the two-time defending champion and the No. 1 seed, with Rybakina as the No. 2 seed. The seeding is the system that keeps the top players apart until the late rounds.
Sabalenka was also playing her fourth straight US Open final. She reached this one by beating Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2, according to US Open. Rybakina came through harder. She lost the first set to Coco Gauff on Thursday, 10 September, then won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach her first US Open final.
The final was their 18th meeting on the WTA Tour. Few rivalries are this even. They were tied 7-7 on hard courts before the final, with Sabalenka leading 2-1 in Grand Slam meetings, as outlined by US Open. Rybakina had beaten Sabalenka at the Australian Open earlier in 2026. Sabalenka had beaten Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) to win Indian Wells in March.
What makes this stand out is the control. Three sets against the defending champion in New York can easily swing on one loose game. Rybakina kept her shape. She lost the second set and still owned the third.
