Elena Rybakina stunned defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final on Sept 12, denying the Belarusian a historic third consecutive crown while celebrating her own ascent to world No 1.
Rybakina, who was already assured of replacing Sabalenka atop the rankings after reaching the semi-finals, captured her third Grand Slam title after Wimbledon in 2022 and this year’s Australian Open.
The defeat snapped Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows, where she had been unbeaten since losing the 2023 final to Coco Gauff. Sabalenka had been attempting to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three straight US Open titles.
Rybakina seized the opening set 6-4 before Sabalenka fought back, breaking in the final game of the second set to force a decider.
But Rybakina quickly regained control in the third, securing an early break and using her powerful serve and aggressive groundstrokes to keep Sabalenka under pressure. Despite two double faults while serving for the championship, she sealed the victory with an ace.
“It feels amazing. I’m super happy, very proud of all the work,” Rybakina said.
A frustrated Sabalenka conceded that Rybakina had deserved the victory.
“She was simply a better player today than me,” Sabalenka said after ending a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.
The victory capped a remarkable New York campaign for Rybakina, who leaves Flushing Meadows not only as US Open champion but the new world No 1.
