Elena Rybakina Wins US Open 2026, Ends Aryna Sabalenka’s Three-Peat Bid

September 13, 2026

Delhi: Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win her maiden US Open title at Arthur Ashe Stadium, securing the third Grand Slam championship of her career.

The victory capped a remarkable US Open campaign for Rybakina, whose participation in the tournament had been in doubt after she suffered an ankle injury during the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open. She was unable to walk for several days, but despite those concerns, she made it to New York and progressed through her first four matches without dropping a set.

Sabalenka entered the final knowing that Rybakina would become the new world No. 1 regardless of the result. The Kazakh eventually replaced Sabalenka at the top of the rankings after completing a tournament in which she overcame physical concerns and several difficult challenges.

Rybakina Overcomes Tough Tests

Rybakina’s toughest tests came when she recovered after losing the opening set against Zheng Qinwen and then repeated the feat against Coco Gauff.

The final against Sabalenka followed a similar pattern of momentum shifts. Rybakina took the opening set despite not producing her best level on serve, using her returns to put pressure on Sabalenka.

Sabalenka responded in the second set by raising the quality of her groundstrokes. She broke Rybakina while the Kazakh was serving for the set in the 12th game, forcing the match into a decider.

Rybakina Dominates Deciding Set

The soon-to-be-crowned world No. 1 regained control in the deciding set. Her deep returns repeatedly pushed Sabalenka behind the baseline, while a break for 2-1 gave Rybakina the advantage she needed.

The five-time Grand Slam winner struggled to maintain consistency as the match progressed, allowing Rybakina to take control of the deciding set.

Rybakina had to wait one extra point to complete the victory after double-faulting on her first championship point. She immediately recovered and produced an ace to seal the US Open title.

The triumph marks Rybakina’s second major championship of 2026, following her Australian Open victory. She previously won Wimbledon in 2022 and now needs only the French Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.

Rybakina Becomes World No. 1

Reflecting on the achievement, Rybakina said the moment ranked among the biggest of her career, highlighting her rise to the world No. 1 position and her first US Open title.

“I would put this moment right at the top. So many things have happened in the past couple of weeks. Becoming the number one ranked player and now lifting this US Open trophy. I have been coming to this tournament for so many years, and it was never a successful Grand Slam for me. Now things have changed, and it is just amazing. This one means a lot to me,” Rybakina said in an interview with JioStar.

For Sabalenka, the defeat ended her bid to win the US Open for a third consecutive year. It was also her fifth loss in nine Grand Slam finals.