Rybakina triumphs in US Open, denies Sabalenka third straight title

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan pose with the trophies after their Women`s Singles Final match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Pic/AFP

Elena Rybakina denied Aryna Sabalenka a third straight US Open title on Saturday, punctuating her rise to world number one with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the player she's replacing at the summit.

Kazakhstan's Rybakina, assured of supplanting Sabalenka atop the rankings by reaching the semi-finals in New York, won her third Grand Slam title to go with her 2022 Wimbledon crown and the Australian Open trophy she lifted this year with a win over Sabalenka.

She became just the second woman to beat a world number one player in two Grand Slam finals in the same year. The other was Steffi Graf in 1995.

Sabalenka, unbeaten in 20 prior matches at Flushing Meadows, clawed back courageously in the second set, breaking Rybakina for the first time in the final game to force the third.

But with her trademark aplomb, Rybakina roared back to finish off a frustrated Sabalenka, who smashed her racket while sitting in her chair as her opponent was applauded by the crowd.

Sabalenka, 28, will end 2026 without a major title since 2022.

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