Elena Rybakina Claims U.S. Open Title and No. 1 Ranking
Elena Rybakina didn’t just take Aryna Sabalenka’s No. 1 ranking in New York. She walked onto Sabalenka’s court, into Sabalenka’s tournament, and ripped the trophy out of her hands.
On a hot, tense Saturday at Flushing Meadows, the 27-year-old completed a statement fortnight with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory to claim her first U.S. Open title and end Sabalenka’s reign in Queens.
A new No. 1, the hard way
The rankings shift was already locked in before the final ball was struck. Rybakina knew she would replace Sabalenka at the top of the women’s game next week. But she refused to let that be the story.
She took the very title Sabalenka had owned for the past two years, turning what could have been a quiet administrative handover into a full-blown power transfer on the sport’s biggest hard court.
“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly,” Rybakina admitted afterward, still clearly processing what she’d just done. “I don’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament. I’ve been dealing with a little bit with an injury, but somehow everything aligned together on my side.”
Aligned, and then some.
Rybakina now owns hard-court majors in both hemispheres this season, having beaten Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January. Melbourne Park was the first warning. Arthur Ashe Stadium was the confirmation.
Sabalenka’s streak snapped
For Sabalenka, this was supposed to be another coronation in New York.
She walked into the final riding a 19-match winning streak at the U.S. Open, unbeaten here since losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final. One more win and she would have joined Serena Williams, the last player to win three straight women’s titles in New York, from 2012 to 2014.
Instead, the run stopped at 19, and the three-peat dream dissolved under Rybakina’s weight of shot.
“I really felt like home here and cannot wait to come back next year,” Sabalenka said. “I wish I could perform a little bit better, but I guess next year.”
She had dominated this rivalry earlier in the season, winning their meetings on the hard courts of Indian Wells and Miami to extend her overall head-to-head lead to 10-8. But when it mattered most, in a major final again, Rybakina found the answers.
No. 1 vs. No. 2, with a twist
This was just the third U.S. Open women’s final since 2000 to feature the top two seeds. The previous two had followed the script: Serena Williams, the No. 1 seed, beat Venus Williams in 2002 and Victoria Azarenka in 2013.
This time the hierarchy flipped. The No. 2 seed walked away with the trophy and the ranking.
Rybakina, born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan, has now won three different majors: Wimbledon in 2022, the Australian Open in 2024, and now the U.S. Open. Only Roland Garros is missing from her set. One fortnight in Paris stands between her and a career Grand Slam.
The turning point
The match itself swung on a moment that, briefly, threatened to go the other way.
Early in the third set, with the tension thick and the scoreline still balanced, Rybakina dragged a backhand wide on break point in the opening game. She let the frustration show. A flash of anger, a crack in the calm exterior.
That could have been the opening Sabalenka needed. Instead, it was the last real chance she got.
Rybakina reset, tightened her patterns, and began to dictate. The serve bit harder. The returns came back deeper. The rallies tilted in her favor. From there, she took control of the decider and never truly loosened her grip, pulling away 6-2 to close out the title.
On a court Sabalenka had ruled for two years, Rybakina finished stronger, hit cleaner, and looked every inch the new standard-bearer of the women’s game.
What comes next
With New York conquered and the No. 1 ranking secured, the picture is suddenly clear. Rybakina stands one major away from joining the most exclusive club in tennis. Wimbledon, Melbourne, New York already in her pocket. Paris still out there, waiting.
A clay-court breakthrough at Roland Garros would complete the career Grand Slam.
After a night like this, who’s betting against her?
And while the women’s draw has its new queen, the men’s story in New York rolls on: American Ben Shelton will face Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final, with a different kind of statement on the line.
