Rybakina Dethrones Sabalenka, Wins First US Open Title

Elena Rybakina, US Open
Elena Rybakina (photo: Jürgen Hasenkopf)

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, September 13, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

Arguably the best rivalry in women’s tennis at the moment, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina met for the 18th time – 15th time on a hard court – in the third US Open women’s singles final between the World No. 2 and World No. 2 players this century on Saturday afternoon.

The No. 1 seed Sabalenka brought a 10-7 head-to-head advantage against No. 2 seed Rybakina to the final as the two talented players walked out to great fanfare, ready to do battle on Arthur Ashe Stadium, with a full-house of nearly 24,000 fans filling the largest arena in professional tennis.

To arrive at this point, the noisy and outgoing Sabalenka brought her A game against American No. 1 Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday night, and won in straight sets. Meanwhile, the quiet and reserved Rybakina rallied to defeat American No. 2 Coco Gauff on the road to reach her first US Open final.

Instead of an all-American final featuring Pegula and Gauff, in celebration of the year’s final major, two Eastern Europeans would duke it out for the final Grand Slam title of the 2026 season.

There was plenty of tennis royalty on hand to witness this US Open final: Hall of Famers Billie Jean King, the namesake of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and winner of the 1971-72 and 1974 US Open titles; 1970 US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini; 1998 US Open titlist Lindsay Davenport, and Maria Sharapova, who won the 2006 US Open title and, later, would award the champion’s trophy to the winner.

With the 28-year-old Sabalenka aiming to become the third woman in the Open Era to win three-plus consecutive US Open titles, the soon-to-be-former No. 1 from Belarus took on the soon-to-be-new No. 1 Rybakina, 27, from Kazakhstan for the US Open women’s title. Regardless of the US Open outcome, Sabalenka and Rybakina would change places in the PIF WTA Rankings come Monday.

 

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As it happened, they finished the Grand Slam season where they started it – with Rybakina prevailing in three sets, just like she did in defeating Sabalenka for the Australian Open title in Melbourne. This time, in Flushing Meadows, Rybakina triumphed, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, in two hours and 21 minutes.

A picture of consistency, Rybakina raised the level of her game when it mattered most – and she kept her poise and focus when Sabalenka’s faltered. 

Rybakina struck five of her 12 aces in the final set, including two in her final service game. She won 85 percent (35 of 41) of her first-serve points, hit 36 winners to 24 unforced errors, converted three of 12 break points and outpointed Sabalenka 103-90. She didn’t commit her first unforced error until the seventh game of the final.

By comparison, Sabalenka hit 32 winners – including six aces – and made 35 unforced errors. She broke Rybakina’s serve just once in three tries.

“It’s tough to find words right now. I didn’t expect anything like this coming to this tournament,” the three-time major champion Rybakina said during the trophy ceremony. “I’ve been dealing a bit with an injury. Somehow everything aligned together on my side.”

Indeed, prior to the US Open, Rybakina retired from her quarterfinal match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek suffering from a right Achilles injury. However, she played solidly through the New York City fortnight, winning her first four matches in straight sets. Then, she knocked off China’s Zheng Qinwen, Gauff and Sabalenka after going the distance against each.

On serve through the first four games, Rybakina broke to go ahead 3-2. Soon, she wrapped up the 44-minute opening set without being broken despite placing just 27 percent of her firs serves in place. She won on her second set point after capturing a 10-shot rally that ended with Sabalenka spraying a backhand wide right. It was Sabalenka’s 15th unforced error during the first set – 10 more than Rybakina made.

Then, with Sabalenka ahead 5-4 (15-40), Rybakina saved two set points and went on to hold serve for 5-all. However, Sabalenka broke Rybakina for the first time in the Russian-born Kazakh’s next service to win the tight, 57-minute second set 7-5.

For the 11th time in their 18 career matches, Sabalenka and Rybakina would go the distance – with total points even at 71 each.

Later, Rybakina broke first to take a 2-1 lead in the decider and consolidated the break for a 3-1 advantage. Then, at 4-2, Sabalenka saved one break point but succumbed to Rybakina who broke the Belarusian to go ahead 5-2 with the title match riding on her racquet.

Soon, despite a couple of double-fault wobbles, Rybakina wrapped up her first US Open and third major title overall with a powerful service ace, her 12th of the match. In the final set she was 10-for-10 winning points on her first serve and lost just three points on her serve (going 16 for 19) overall. Rybakina matched Sabalenka’s power and won. In the process, she had dethroned the two-time defending champion. There would be no 47th victory of the season or a US Open three-peat for Sabalenka. Only Chris Evert and Serena Williams have won three US Open crowns in a row. Instead, there would be a 49th win of the year, second-most on the WTA Tour – and a first-time US Open title – for Rybakina.

It was game, set, match, championship for Rybakina. After sharing a short, polite hug at the net, each player went their separate ways. While Rybakina went over to the sideline to celebrate with her coach, Stefano Vukov, and the rest of her team, Sabalenka obliterated her racquet and sulked at her bench with a towel over her head. It was a contrast of emotions. 

Soon, Sabalenka congratulated the new champion during the trophy ceremony, saying: “Obviously, I’m disappointed but I want to congratulate Elena on an incredible year and incredible results. Well-deserved. Enjoy it. Have fun tonight and tomorrow!”

Then, during her trophy speech, Rybakina praised the dethroned two-time US Open Sabalenka, saying: “It’s so difficult to play against you. You pushed me to such limits,” she said. “Congrats for the achievements, congrats to your team. You guys do an incredible job.”

Rybakina added: “I was coming here for the last ten years and was never successful. Nothing close to that. It’s just incredible. I’m falling in love with New York more and more. It’s amazing memories for me. Thank you guys.”

For the first time since the 2022 season, Sabalenka had failed to add a Grand Slam title to her total of four majors (two Australian Open and two US Open), while Rybakina has now won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – two of them coming this season. She lacks only winning the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.

Sabalenka, whose 20-match US Open winning streak had been snapped by Rybakina, will earn $2.8 million for finishing runner-up. She spoke about her emotions during her post-match news conference.

“It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for three-peat,” she said. “So I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside, right now or here or there on the court, I wouldn’t be able to say a word or I would just go not really nice over there.

“So I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside.”

Meanwhile, Rybakina was happy and upbeat when she spoke during her champion’s news conference.

“It’s still so difficult to process what happened,” she said. “Too many achievements these few weeks.”

Among those achievements, in addition to becoming the new World No. 1, Rybakina earned $5.5 million for winning the US Open title, the largest prize-money payout in Grand Slam history. She also tied Sabalenka and French Open winner Mirra Andreeva of Russia with a tour-high three titles this season.

“It’s gonna be very different to wake up the next morning knowing you won the US Open, achieved the No. 1 ranking. It’s kind of relief. It’s gonna be amazing to wake up knowing you achieved such big things.”

 

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Harrison and Skupski are kings of New York doubles

Christian Harrison of the United States and Neal Skupski of Great Britain won the US Open men’s doubles title – their second major crown of 2026 after winning the Australian Open in January – with a 6-4, 7-6 (6) victory over Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz of Germany in one hour and 39 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium Saturday afternoon. 

The No. 5 seeds Harrison and Skupski combined to hit nine aces, won 74 percent (25 of 34) of their first-serve points, hit 38 winners, converted one of two break points and outpointed the No. 6 seeds Krawietz and Puetz 75-66.

“Congratulations to Tim and Kevin on a great tournament,” Harrison said during the trophy ceremony. “It is never easy playing you guys. But making the final is a lot to be proud of.”

Then, Harrison addressed the New York crowd: “We felt your energy today, so thank you for the support in the final. And thanks to my partner Neal. It has been great to get two major titles this year. I’m speechless, having done this at home.”

Skupski added: “I don’t know what to say as I am still in shock. The speech gets a little bit easier once you have won. Having match points in last year’s championship final [it was hard]. It was a tough part of my career, but it is amazing what a year does in tennis.”

Last year, Skupski and Joe Salisbury were on the losing side of the US Open final against Marcel Granollers of Spain and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina.

En route to their US Open title, Harrison, 32, and Skupski, 36, did not drop any sets in their six victories – the third team in the Open Era to win the U.S. Open crown without losing a set – and first one since the Bryan Brothers in 2010.

In Melbourne, after losing the opening set of their first-round match, they won 11 straight sets to win the Australian Open title. Harrison joined his older brother, Ryan Harrison, who won the 2017 Roland-Garros men’s doubles title with Michael Venus.

Christian Harrison, ranked 12th, is the fifth American men’s doubles champion this century after Mike Bryan, Bob Bryan, Jack Sock and Rajeev Ram. Meanwhile, Skupski, ranked fifth, is the fourth Britain doubles champion in the Open Era after Roger Taylor, Jamie Murray and Salisbury.

 

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Around the US Open

Finals took place in junior boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles, men’s and women’s wheel chair singles and quad singles on Saturday.

• Unseeded Marcel Latak of the United States won the junior boys’ title with his come-from-behind 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (13) victory over World No. 1 and top seed Guto Miguel of Brazil in two hours and 46 minutes on Court 12. The third-set tiebreaker lasted 20 minutes – and Latak saved three match points.

By winning, Latak became the first American since Taylor Fritz in 2015 to the capture the US Open junior boys’ singles title. He plans to attend Stanford University on an athletic scholarship to play tennis beginning in 2027.

Latak struck 31 winners and converted six of 10 break points. He outpointed Miguel 120-118. Latak became the second-straight American boy to win a junior Grand Slam this year after Jordan Lee prevailed at Wimbledon. 

 

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• Later, Latak played in the junior boys’ doubles final teamed Tanisha Konduri of the United States. They were defeated Aaron Gabet of France and Valentin Gonzalez-Galino, 7-6 (5), 2-6, 11-9, in one hour and 30 minutes on Court 11.

 

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• No. 1 seed Sun Xinran of China won the junior girls’ singles title with her 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 victory over No. 5 seed Anna Pushkareva of Russia in one hour and 47 minutes on Court 7 after falling in the Roland-Garros and Wimbledon finals. Sun outpointed Pushkareva 90-73 in a rematch of their Wimbledon final. 

 

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• American identical twin sisters Annika Penickova and Kristina Penickova won the junior girls’ doubles title with a 7-6 (11), 6-3 victory over Russian’s Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva in one hour and 20 minutes on Court 14. The Penickova sisters combined to hit 25 winners and outpointed their opponents 78-60 in collecting their second Grand Slam junior doubles title.

 

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• No. 2 seed Alfie Hewett of Great Britain upset No. 1 seed Tokito Oda of Japan, 6-0, 7-6 (5), in one hour and 37 minutes on Court 11 to win the men’s wheelchair singles title. Hewitt, who struck 33 winners, outpointed his opponent, 79-61.

Hewitt’s victory prevented Oda from achieving a calendar Grand Slam after earlier achieving victories at the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

 

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• No. 1 seed Yui Kamiji of Japan overcame No. 2 seed Deidre De Groot of the Netherlands, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, in one hour and 41 minutes on Court 13 to win the women’s wheelchair singles title. 

 

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• No. 1 seed Niels Vink of the Netherlands scored a 6-2, 7-5 victory over No. 2 seed Sam Schroeder of the Netherlands in one hour and 20 minutes on Court 10 to win the quad singles wheelchair title.

 

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Saturday’s US Open results

Sunday’s US Open order of play

By the numbers

• While Saturday was the 18th time that Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina had met – with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head 10-7 coming in – Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert set the gold standard for tennis rivalries. They competed against each other 80 times on tour. Navratilova won 43 times, Evert 37. Sixty of their matches were in finals. 

• With her win, Elena Rybakina became the second woman to defeat a World No. 1 player in two Grand Slam finals in one calendar year. The only other player to complete that feat was Steffi Graf in 1995.

“Quotable …”

“I think I’ve grown up. I’m more mature, more focused. I know what my goal is, I know what my job is out here, and I’m 100 percent committed to those goals. It’s not easy, playing here on Arthur Ashe. You’re playing in front of all your favorite athletes and movie stars. So, to keep your head down and focus for over three hours is not an easy task. I keep looking up at the screen like, ‘Oh, shoot, Jalen Brunson’s here.’”

– Ben Shelton of the United States, during his on-court interview following his four-set semifinal victory over Frances Tiafoe on Friday evening.

“Ultimately, I want to do the thing, man. I want to be a Grand Slam champion one day and just get back to the drawing board and keep working.

“I’ll continue what I’ve been doing all year, just continue to work. I just fell in love with the work. I’m going to feel sorry for myself the next couple of days, but after that, I can start working again and get my ass to Turin. I want to be there.”

– Frances Tiafoe of the United States, during his post-match news conference Friday night, looking ahead after his semifinal loss to fellow American Ben Shelton.

 

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