NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina has conquered the US Open at last—and in the process, she stopped Aryna Sabalenka from making tennis history.
Rybakina defeated the two-time defending champion 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a gripping women’s singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, capturing her first US Open championship and completing a remarkable rise to the top of women’s tennis.
The victory delivered a double blow to Sabalenka. Not only did Rybakina take away the trophy the Belarusian had won in the previous two years, she also ended Sabalenka’s bid to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three consecutive US Open singles titles.
But perhaps the biggest prize came before the trophy ceremony.
Rybakina had already secured enough ranking points to overtake Sabalenka at the top of the WTA rankings. When the new rankings are released, the Kazakh will officially become world No. 1 for the first time in her career, ending Sabalenka’s extraordinary 99-week reign at the summit.
From injury doubts to New York champion
Rybakina’s triumph is even more remarkable considering the uncertainty surrounding her participation just weeks ago.
An ankle injury forced her to withdraw from the Cincinnati tournament, raising questions about whether she would be fully fit for the final Grand Slam of the season. Instead, she arrived in New York and produced the deepest US Open run of her career.
She had never advanced beyond the fourth round at Flushing Meadows before this year.
That changed dramatically.
Rybakina defeated former US Open champion Naomi Osaka, survived a three-set battle against Qinwen Zheng, and then fought back against home favorite Coco Gauff to reach her first US Open final.
Against Sabalenka, she once again showed the composure that has increasingly become the defining feature of her biggest matches.
Another Grand Slam showdown, another Rybakina victory
Saturday’s final was a rematch of the 2026 Australian Open championship match, where Rybakina also defeated Sabalenka to claim the title.
That Melbourne victory had already established Rybakina as one of the biggest threats to Sabalenka’s dominance on hard courts.
The US Open final confirmed it.
Rybakina took the opening set 6-4 before Sabalenka fought back to level the match by taking the second 7-5.
With the championship hanging in the balance, Rybakina remained composed in the deciding set and pulled away 6-2 to secure the biggest title of her career in New York.
It was her third Grand Slam championship, following her 2022 Wimbledon triumph and her 2026 Australian Open victory. It was also her second major title of the 2026 season.
Sabalenka’s New York reign comes to an end
For Sabalenka, the defeat brought an abrupt end to one of the most dominant stretches in recent US Open history.
The Belarusian had entered the tournament chasing a third consecutive championship and had reached the final in New York for the fourth straight year.
She had also arrived in the final carrying a formidable US Open record, having established herself as the tournament’s dominant player over the previous two seasons.
But Rybakina proved capable of breaking that pattern.
The defeat also ended Sabalenka’s 19-match US Open winning streak, according to AP.
The result means the women’s game will enter the next ranking cycle with a new player at the very top.
And that player is Rybakina.
A new era at the top of women’s tennis?
Rybakina’s victory could represent more than a single Grand Slam breakthrough.
She now owns two major titles in 2026, has defeated Sabalenka twice in Grand Slam finals this season and is set to become the first world No. 1 of her career.
Her victory also puts her one French Open title away from completing a career Grand Slam, having already won Wimbledon, the Australian Open and now the US Open.
For a player who struggled for years to make a deep run in New York, the transformation is striking.
Rybakina herself admitted before and after the tournament that she did not expect such a result, particularly after her injury concerns.
But everything came together at precisely the right moment.
“I didn’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament,” Rybakina said after the victory, according to Reuters. “Somehow everything aligned together.”
Now, New York belongs to her.
And the No. 1 ranking does, too.
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