New Delhi: has defeated Aryna Sabalenka to become the new champion, ending the Belarusian’s bid for a historic three-peat at Flushing Meadows.
Rybakina produced a sensational performance in front of a packed house to beat Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes on Saturday. The victory earned her third Grand Slam title and capped a remarkable rise to the world number one.
The Kazakh also ended Sabalenka’s 20-match unbeaten run at Flushing Meadows, denying the Belarusian the chance to join Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only women to clinch three straight New York titles. Rybakina suffered an ankle injury before the start of the tournament, which put her US Open campaign in jeopardy. However, she put those worries behind her and went on to win the title in New York, adding it to her Australian Open title earlier this year and her Wimbledon triumph in 2022.
‘It’s tough to find words right now. I didn’t expect anything like this coming to the tournament. I’ve been dealing a bit with an injury. Somehow everything aligned together on my side. Aryna, it’s so difficult to play against you. You push me to the limit,’ said Rybakina. She became only the third woman this century to clinch both hardcourt Grand Slam titles in the same year after Sabalenka and Angelique Kerber.
‘I want to say thank you to the beautiful spectators for such a beautiful atmosphere. I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years and was never successful. I’m falling in love with New York more and more,’ she added.
Rybakina outlasts Sabalenka
Rybakina kept her composure in the opening set despite struggling to find her rhythm on the first serve initially. With her biggest weapon not at its sharpest, she was able to execute an aggressive return game that repeatedly put Sabalenka under pressure and left her frustrated.
The Belarusian’s groundstrokes improved in the second set, while Rybakina’s intensity dropped slightly as the match tightened. Sabalenka finally capitalised on her third set point, attacking the Kazakh’s second serve in the 12th game to level the match and set it into a deciding third set.
But the loose shots from Sabalenka returned in the third set, accompanied by growing frustration. Rybakina took advantage and used her depth to keep the defending champion pinned to the baseline before breaking for a 2-1 advantage.
The breakthrough gave Rybakina an extra surge of confidence as she started dominating the deciding set. She showed some nerves, producing a double fault on her first championship point but immediately recovered with a perfectly timed ace to seal the title.
Rybakina rarely shows any emotion on court, but there was a brief smile on her face as she clinched her second Grand Slam title of an outstanding 2026 season, leaving her Belarusian rival without any major silverware this year.