Elena Rybakina wins first US Open title, rises to No. 1

Rybakina, 27, controlled the opening set before Sabalenka recovered to force a deciding set at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. The Kazakh player regained control in the third set, using her serve and powerful baseline game to pull away and end Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the US Open. The result also denied Sabalenka a third consecutive championship and a fifth Grand Slam title.

The championship continues a major season for Rybakina, who also won the Australian Open in January. She defeated Sabalenka in that final as well, making 2026 the first year in which Rybakina has won two Grand Slam titles. Her US Open victory also caps a rapid climb in the rankings: she secured the No. 1 position by reaching the semifinals in New York and will officially begin her reign at the top after the tournament.

Rybakina entered the US Open having never advanced beyond the fourth round at the tournament, making her run to the title a significant change in her record at Flushing Meadows. Before this year, her Grand Slam victories came at Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026. Sabalenka, meanwhile, had won the US Open in 2024 and 2025 and entered this year's tournament as the top seed, but finished the season's final major without a Grand Slam title despite reaching the championship match.

Sources: ESPN, Reuters, WTA, the U.S. Open and Yahoo Sports.