Elena Rybakina has won her first US Open title after defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a thrilling final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, September 12.
The victory caps a remarkable 2026 season for the Kazakh, who will become the new world No. 1 when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.
The second seed claimed her third Grand Slam title and second major of the year after also beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January. Her first Grand Slam triumph came at Wimbledon in 2022.
Rybakina produced 36 winners and 24 unforced errors, compared with Sabalenka’s 32 winners and 35 unforced errors. She also hit 12 aces, won 85 per cent of points behind her first serve and converted three of 12 break-point opportunities.
Rybakina made the stronger start, breaking Sabalenka in the fifth game before closing out the opening set 6-4. Sabalenka responded in the second set, saving two set points at 5-4 before breaking Rybakina at 6-5 to force a decider.
Rybakina regained control in the third set, breaking for a 2-1 lead before securing another break at 5-2. She then served out the match with her 12th ace to seal the title after two hours and 21 minutes.
The triumph makes Rybakina the first player from Kazakhstan to become world No. 1 and the first Kazakh player to win the US Open.
She is also the third woman this century to win both the Australian Open and US Open in the same calendar year, joining Angelique Kerber and Sabalenka. Overall, she joins an elite group that includes Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis to complete the Australian Open and US Open double.
Rybakina is also the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1995 to defeat a reigning world No. 1 in two Grand Slam finals in the same year. Her victories over Sabalenka in Melbourne and New York give her 10 career wins against players ranked No. 1 in the world.
The defeat ended Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at the US Open and denied her the chance to become only the second woman in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows, after Serena Williams achieved the feat from 2012 to 2014.
Sabalenka’s loss also ended her 99-week reign as world No. 1. She had held the position for 99 consecutive weeks before Rybakina took over after reaching the US Open final.
For Rybakina, the title represents a major turnaround at Flushing Meadows. Before this tournament, she had never advanced beyond the fourth round at the US Open and had failed to go past the third round in her first six appearances.
Her run to the title included a comeback win over Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals and another three-set comeback against 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff in the semi-finals before she overcame Sabalenka in the final.
Rybakina now has two hard-court Grand Slam titles in 2026 and is one major, the French Open, away from completing a career Grand Slam.
The 2026 US Open champion will earn a record $5.5 million, part of a tournament-record $108 million player compensation package. The winner’s prize is the largest championship payout in tennis history.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, ends 2026 without a Grand Slam title despite reaching the Australian Open final and winning the Indian Wells and Miami titles. She also finishes runner-up to Rybakina in both hard-court Grand Slam finals.
