NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina arrived at the US Open carrying an ankle concern and years of frustration in New York. She will leave Flushing Meadows with the trophy — and the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis.
The 27-year-old representing Kazakhstan dethroned two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a gripping US Open women’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 12, capturing her first championship in New York and the third Grand Slam singles title of her career.
It was more than another major victory.
Rybakina denied Sabalenka a rare US Open three-peat, defeated her rival in a second Grand Slam final this year and put an exclamation point on a remarkable climb that will officially make her the world’s top-ranked women’s player when the WTA rankings are updated Monday.
A final that swung — until Rybakina seized control
The showdown matched two of women’s tennis’ most explosive power players, but Rybakina’s composure proved decisive.
She earned the first important break of serve and took the opening set 6-4 despite struggling with her first-serve percentage.
Sabalenka, however, refused to surrender the title she had owned for the previous two years.
The Belarusian fought back in the second set, finally breaking late to take it 7-5 and force a deciding third set. The comeback briefly appeared to shift the momentum toward the defending champion.
Then Rybakina changed the match.
She broke Sabalenka for a 2-1 advantage in the final set, struck again to move ahead 5-2 and finished the championship with her 12th ace, completing the victory after two hours and 21 minutes.
Sabalenka’s frustration became increasingly visible as the match slipped away. Rybakina, by contrast, maintained the controlled demeanor that has become one of her trademarks even as the biggest title in New York moved within reach.
Sabalenka’s historic three-peat disappears
The defeat stopped Sabalenka from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams, who won from 2012 through 2014, to capture three consecutive US Open women’s singles championships.
Sabalenka had reached her fourth consecutive US Open final and entered the championship match seeking a fifth career Grand Slam title. Instead, she ends the 2026 major season without adding another Slam trophy.
Rybakina has now defeated Sabalenka in two major finals during the same season.
She also beat her in January’s Australian Open championship match, giving Rybakina victories at both hard-court Grand Slams in 2026.
That puts her in rare company.
According to the WTA, Rybakina is only the third woman since 2000 to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same season, following Angelique Kerber in 2016 and Sabalenka in 2024.
From injury doubts to a third Grand Slam
The title looked far from certain before the tournament even began.
Rybakina arrived in New York dealing with ankle concerns after retiring from her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek. But once the US Open began, she steadily built momentum.
She eliminated Naomi Osaka in the fourth round before surviving consecutive three-set battles against Zheng Qinwen and American star Coco Gauff on her way to the final.
The run transformed what had historically been one of her least successful Grand Slam venues into another major triumph.
Her trophy collection now includes Wimbledon 2022, the Australian Open 2026 and the US Open 2026. She needs only the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
The New York championship is also her third WTA title of the 2026 season and the 14th singles title of her career.
The trophy wasn’t the only thing Rybakina took from Sabalenka
Perhaps the biggest shift in women’s tennis had technically been decided before Saturday’s final.
By reaching the US Open semifinals, Rybakina had already accumulated enough ranking points to overtake Sabalenka.
When the new rankings are released on Monday, September 14, she will become the 30th woman in WTA history to reach world No. 1 — and the first player, male or female, representing Kazakhstan to reach the top of the singles rankings.
Sabalenka’s reign will end after 99 consecutive weeks at No. 1.
Rybakina therefore leaves New York having taken both the tournament crown and the position Sabalenka had occupied at the summit of women’s tennis.
A historic payday — and a changing of the guard
The championship earned Rybakina $5.5 million, which AP reported as the largest winner’s prize in Grand Slam history. Sabalenka collected $2.8 million as runner-up.
There was another historical marker buried inside the result.
The WTA said Rybakina became the first woman since Serena Williams in 2002 to defeat a defending women’s singles champion in a US Open final. She also became the first player since Williams in 2012 to defeat the reigning world No. 1 in the women’s championship match in New York.
Those numbers underline what Saturday’s victory may ultimately represent.
This was not simply Rybakina adding another Grand Slam to her résumé.
She beat the woman who had ruled the US Open for two seasons, denied her a place alongside some of the tournament’s greatest champions and completed a fortnight that will end with Rybakina officially sitting above everyone else in women’s tennis.
Sabalenka came to New York trying to protect her crown.
Rybakina is leaving with the crown — and the No. 1 ranking to match.
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