Elena Rybakina won the US Open title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in New York, completing a double triumph that will also see her become the world’s number one player.
Rybakina had already secured enough ranking points to replace Sabalenka at the top of the women’s game next week. She then ended the Belarusian’s two-year reign as US Open champion to claim her first title at Flushing Meadows.
“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly,” Rybakina said. “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.”
The victory secured the 27-year-old’s third Grand Slam title and her second of the season, with both wins coming against Sabalenka on hard courts. Rybakina also defeated her in the Australian Open final.
She stopped Sabalenka’s 19-match winning run at the US Open, where the champion had not lost since her defeat by Coco Gauff in the 2023 final. Rybakina’s prize money was 5.5 million dollars, the largest sum awarded in Grand Slam history.
Sabalenka received 2.8 million dollars but, after a brief embrace at the net, smashed her racket. She had been attempting to become the first player since Serena Williams between 2012 and 2014 to win the tournament three years in succession.
“I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had there today,” Sabalenka said. “Not good enough.”
Rybakina’s serve was not at its most effective, with less than half of her first serves landing in play, but her returning kept Sabalenka under sustained pressure. She created 12 break points and converted three, while the pair’s power game produced a match that was decided by small but significant shifts in momentum.
Sabalenka had held the number one ranking for 99 consecutive weeks, although the standings were always due to change on Monday. Rybakina had already moved ahead simply by reaching the semi-finals, but went on to win the title as well.
The Kazakhstan representative, who was born in Russia, won her first major at Wimbledon in 2022. Victory in New York leaves the French Open as the only Grand Slam title missing from her collection.
“Her serve is amazing, the way she’s able to step in and overpower you on court, and especially if it’s a U.S. Open court where it’s super fast, it’s definitely a huge advantage for her,” Sabalenka said. “A lot of things make her dangerous.”
Rybakina showed only limited outward frustration during the final, despite missing a backhand on break point at the start of the deciding set. She quickly regained control, while Sabalenka repeatedly looked towards her coaches’ box in apparent disbelief as the match began to slip away.
Sabalenka had beaten Rybakina in their other two meetings this season at Indian Wells and Miami, and leads their rivalry 10-8. But her form had dipped afterwards, with fourth-round defeats at Wimbledon, Toronto and Cincinnati.
Rybakina had also arrived in New York with fitness concerns after stopping her quarter-final against Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati because of a foot injury. She had never progressed beyond the fourth round at the US Open before this year.
“I honestly was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful — nothing close to that,” Rybakina said. “It’s just incredible. I’m falling in love with New York more and more.”
