Elena Rybakina defeats Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 to win US Open and claim world number one

Deciding battle at Arthur Ashe

Elena Rybakina captured her first US Open singles championship on Saturday, September 12, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 in a final lasting two hours and 21 minutes. Rybakina absorbed Sabalenka's heavy baseline hitting throughout the contest, maintaining composure before stepping forward to dictate points in the deciding set. Sabalenka struggled with consistency, committing 35 unforced errors and receiving a code warning after firing a ball into the stands. The Belarusian player broke a racket during the match and destroyed another on her bench following the trophy ceremony.

“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.”

Overcoming injury to claim number one

The tournament victory followed fitness concerns for Rybakina, who suffered an ankle injury that forced her withdrawal from the Cincinnati tune-up tournament three weeks earlier. She did not play tennis for seven days leading into the event, and doubts over her physical readiness persisted until the eve of the tournament. The 27-year-old steadily found form, progressing past the fourth round at Flushing Meadows for the first time in ten visits to New York. Along the way, she secured victories over former champions Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff to reach the final.

“It's tough to find words right now, honestly. I didn't expect nothing like this coming to this tournament. Somehow everything aligned together.”

The result also elevates Rybakina to world number one for the first time in her career when the WTA rankings update on Monday. By reaching the semi-finals, she had already accumulated the required points to become the 30th woman and first player from Kazakhstan to top the world rankings. The victory marks her third Grand Slam singles title, following her 2022 Wimbledon title and her 2026 Australian Open win over Sabalenka, in a season that also included a runner-up finish in Toronto.

Sabalenka's winning streak halted

The defeat brought an end to Sabalenka's 99-week reign at the top of the WTA rankings and halted her 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. Sabalenka had reached four consecutive US Open finals, winning back-to-back titles against Jessica Pegula in 2024 and Amanda Anisimova in 2025 after finishing as runner-up to Gauff in 2023. A third straight victory would have placed her alongside Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women in the open era to achieve three consecutive US Open singles titles. The loss left Sabalenka without a Grand Slam trophy in 2026, representing her first year without a title at that level since 2022.

“She played really aggressive, great tennis. She was simply a better player today than me.”

Tournament history and crowd support

Having played an American opponent in each of her previous three finals in New York, Sabalenka received vocal support from the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd throughout the encounter. Sabalenka acknowledged the support from the stands, noting that the crowd had tried to help her back into the contest during difficult stretches. Despite the local backing, Rybakina closed out the final set by pulling away in the closing games after an early exchange of breaks. The win sealed Rybakina's second Grand Slam title of 2026 while leaving Sabalenka at four career Grand Slam titles from 24 career tournament victories.