Elena Rybakina secured her maiden US Open title on Saturday, delivering a commanding performance to end Aryna Sabalenka’s two-year reign as tournament champion. The 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium marks Rybakina’s third career Grand Slam title, further cementing her rise to the world number one ranking.
The Russian-born Kazakh player utilized her icy composure on the grand stage to dismantle Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. By preventing the Belarusian from winning a third consecutive title, Rybakina denied her a chance to join tennis icons Serena Williams and Chris Evert in the history books.
Rybakina’s journey to the championship was far from certain, as an ankle injury threatened to derail her campaign before play even began. Despite those physical concerns, the 27-year-old managed to add the US Open trophy to her previous major successes, including the 2022 Wimbledon title and this year’s Australian Open win. With this performance, she became only the third woman this century to win both hardcourt majors in a single calendar year, joining Sabalenka and Angelique Kerber on that exclusive list.
Reflecting on her achievement, a visibly moved Rybakina admitted the reality was still difficult to process. “It’s tough to find words… I didn’t expect anything like this coming into the tournament,” she said. She also expressed gratitude toward the New York crowd, noting that her affection for the city continues to grow with each visit.
The match itself was a high-stakes encounter between two of the game’s most powerful hitters. Rybakina dictated play early, using deep groundstrokes to unsettle Sabalenka. In the fifth game of the opening set, Sabalenka conceded a break, even receiving a code violation warning for ball abuse after a double fault. Although Sabalenka managed to stave off pressure to stay within striking distance, Rybakina closed the set 6-4 with a powerful backhand winner.
Sabalenka showed resilience in the second set, successfully defending break points in the third game and eventually gaining confidence. Despite failing to convert on her first break opportunities, she managed to hold twice to love to take a 5-4 lead. She eventually forced a third set by breaking Rybakina’s serve at 6-5, though this proved to be only a minor setback for the eventual champion.
In the deciding set, Rybakina regained control immediately. Despite a momentary wobble that included two double faults while serving for the match, she sealed the win with an ace. Sabalenka acknowledged the loss after the match, telling the audience she wished she had performed better but admitted, “She was simply a better player today than me.”
For Sabalenka, the loss marks the end of her season without a major title, the first such occurrence for her since 2022. Following a brief post-match embrace at the net, a frustrated Sabalenka was seen smashing her racquet in her seat while the crowd celebrated Rybakina’s victory. The champion, meanwhile, credited her ability to remain aggressive in the high-stakes moments of the final set for the deciding result. The report also notes that somehow, everything aligned together on my side. The report also notes that you push me to the limit. “I want to say thank you to the beautiful spectators for such a beautiful atmosphere. The report also notes that too much achievements these few weeks. The report also notes that very proud of all the work, i’m super happy. The report also notes that where the 2024 and 2025 champion hadn’t lost since falling to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, she ended Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak in Flushing Meadows. The report also notes that breaking Rybakina for the first time in the final game to force the third, the 28-year old from Belarus clawed back courageously in the second set. The report also notes that to be aggressive. “Then in the second, we were taking our serve, then it was kind of a little bit easier to step in. The report also notes that she just played in these same important moments more aggressive.
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