Rybakina Dethrones Sabalenka at US Open, Ascends to No. 1

Elena Rybakina arrived in New York and systematically dismantled everything Aryna Sabalenka had built. On Saturday, she claimed the U.S. Open title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory, the same day she mathematically secured the world No. 1 ranking—a position Sabalenka had held for 99 consecutive weeks. For Rybakina, the tournament that had long been a graveyard for her career became the stage of her coronation.

The 27-year-old Kazakhstani, born in Russia, had never advanced past the fourth round at Flushing Meadows until this year. She arrived in New York having already won the Australian Open earlier in the season, also against Sabalenka. Now she had her third Grand Slam title overall and her second of 2026 against the same opponent on hard courts. "It's still so difficult to process what happened," Rybakina said afterward. "Too many achievements these few weeks." She walked away with $5.5 million, the largest prize purse in Grand Slam history.

Sabalenka's bid to become the first player since Serena Williams (2012-14) to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles ended in the final. Her 19-match winning streak at the tournament, unbroken since losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, was snapped. She collected $2.8 million but the money seemed irrelevant—she smashed her racket after a brief handshake with Rybakina at the net. "I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had there today," she said flatly. "Not good enough."

What made the result striking was that Rybakina did not play her best tennis. She landed fewer than half her first serves, a significant weakness for a player who leads the tour in aces. Instead, she suffocated Sabalenka with an exceptional return game, creating 12 break-point opportunities and converting three—all she needed. Sabalenka, a native of Belarus known for her violent, grunting groundstrokes, found herself repeatedly outpowered. "Her serve is amazing, the way she's able to step in and overpower you on court, and especially if it's a U.S. Open court where it's super fast, it's definitely a huge advantage for her," Sabalenka acknowledged. "A lot of things make her dangerous."

Rybakina's power arrives with an almost eerie calm. Where Sabalenka unleashes her shots with audible effort, Rybakina generates her pace with minimal sound beyond the squeak of her shoes and almost no visible emotion. Coco Gauff, who lost to Rybakina in the semifinals, observed: "I think Elena is probably—not nonchalant, I don't want to say that, because she's not nonchalant—but just no reaction ever." That composure proved decisive. When Rybakina showed brief frustration in the opening game of the third set, pulling a backhand wide on a break point, she quickly seized control and never relinquished it.

This was the third meeting of the world's top two players in a U.S. Open women's final since 2000, but the first time the challenger won. In 2002 and 2013, Serena Williams held the No. 1 ranking and defeated her opponents. The rankings will flip on Monday. Sabalenka had won two of their three meetings this season on hard courts at Indian Wells and Miami, leading their head-to-head record 10-8. But her summer had unraveled after those victories—she fell to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round at Wimbledon, then suffered consecutive fourth-round exits in Toronto and Cincinnati.

Rybakina, by contrast, had found her footing. She took a brief break after a foot injury forced her to withdraw from her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek, but arrived in New York healthy and hungry. "I honestly was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful—nothing close to that," she said. "It's just incredible. I'm falling in love with New York more and more." Arthur Ashe Stadium had been Sabalenka's fortress, with four straight finals appearances and six semifinals. On Saturday, that fortress fell.

With this victory, Rybakina has won two of the four Grand Slams—Wimbledon in 2022 and now the U.S. Open. She needs only the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. The momentum is hers, and the rankings will soon reflect what the scoreboard already showed.