Elena Rybakina Wins First US Open Title Against Sabalenka
Elena Rybakina walked into New York chasing a breakthrough. She left with the US Open trophy in her hands and the defending champion in her wake.
On Saturday, September 12, 2026, the Kazakh star claimed her first US Open title, outlasting top seed and reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in a bruising three-set final: 6:4, 5:7, 6:2.
For Rybakina, it was not just another big-stage win. It was a statement.
Rybakina strikes first
From the opening games, Rybakina’s intent was clear. She took the ball early, drove through her groundstrokes, and refused to be pushed back by Sabalenka’s trademark power.
The first set swung on a handful of points. Rybakina seized the crucial break and guarded it with calm authority, holding her nerve to close out the set 6:4. Sabalenka, the top seed and the woman who had ruled this tournament a year earlier, suddenly looked under real pressure.
Rybakina had landed the first blow.
Sabalenka hits back
Champions rarely go quietly, and Sabalenka did not. She dug in, raised her first-serve percentage, and began to find her range on the return. The rallies grew heavier, the noise inside the stadium rose, and the match finally caught fire.
Just when Rybakina seemed close to tightening her grip, Sabalenka forced the issue. She broke at a key moment late in the second set, then rode that surge to snatch it 7:5. The final was level. One set all. The defending champion had wrestled her way back, and the tension sharpened.
The crowd sensed a turning point. So did Rybakina.
Decider belongs to Rybakina
The third set answered the only question that mattered: who would hold their nerve when everything was on the line?
Rybakina did.
She reset quickly, cut out the loose errors, and turned the decider into a showcase of controlled aggression. Her serve steadied, her forehand bit deeper into the court, and Sabalenka suddenly found herself chasing.
The pressure finally told. Rybakina broke twice, storming to a 6:2 finish in the third set while allowing Sabalenka only two games. The top seed’s resistance faded; Rybakina’s clarity did not.
When the final ball flew long, the numbers were simple and emphatic: 6:4, 5:7, 6:2. Two sets to one. A first US Open title for Elena Rybakina, and the end of Aryna Sabalenka’s reign in New York.
A new champion on one of tennis’s biggest stages, and a rivalry that now has another chapter written into it.
