Elena Rybakina cemented her position as world No 1 by dethroning two-time US Open winner Aryna Sabalenka to seal her maiden title in New York.
Rybakina won her first US Open, beating top seed and defending champion Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 27-year-old had already been guaranteed to replace Sabalenka at No 1 in the rankings next week.
Sabalenka was looking to become only the third woman to achieve a New York ‘three-peat’ in the Open era, after Chris Evert and Serena Williams.
Instead she was left sat in her chair, furiously smashing her racket in to smithereens as Rybakina, from Kazakhstan, celebrated a third Grand Slam title.
An ankle injury had threatened to derail Rybakina’s campaign even before the tournament started, but she shrugged off those concerns to add the US Open title to her Australian Open triumph this year and Wimbledon success in 2022.
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Rybakina speak to the Sky Sports Tennis team after winning the US Open
“Some magic is happening,” Rybakina told Sky Sports Tennis. “I was so unlucky with the injury [before the start of the tournament]. I was going day by day and my team were quite positive. Even in the beginning we didn’t know how it was going to be so I’m super happy and very proud. I still can’t believe it.
“I was relieved to get to No 1 but I knew there were two more matches to push and it would be such a milestone winning the tournament here so I was focussed and trying not to see too many messages.
“Everything was working today.”
All the ingredients of a classic…
Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt was on Arthur Ashe to watch the action
The title showdown on a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium had all the ingredients of a classic between the top two in the rankings.
Dressed in a yellow-and-black outfit that evoked a bee, Rybakina produced some stinging groundstrokes but was unable to make the early pressure count as Sabalenka unleashed big serves to hold firm in the pair’s third Grand Slam final meeting.
The second seed drew first blood to go ahead 3-2 following a Sabalenka double fault, with the frustrated Belarusian earning a code violation immediately afterwards for launching a ball high into the stands.
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Sabalenka produced this stunning drop shot during the final…
Sabalenka’s irritation became increasingly evident with each missed shot and squandered opportunity, in stark contrast to the trademark calm etched on Rybakina’s face as the Kazakh tightened her grip on the opening set and clinched it with a tight hold.
A sudden drop-off in Rybakina’s level midway through the second set gave the 28-year-old Sabalenka hope, and she produced a stunning drop shot and a stunning backhand crosscourt winner en route to forcing a deciding set.
Sabalenka let out a huge roar after another backhand winner to hold in a tight opening game of the third set.
However, Rybakina’s quality shone through her red-and-blue-framed racket as she took a commanding 5-2 lead and then closed out a famous triumph to leave her Belarusian rival without any major silverware in 2026.
Sabalenka said: “The last thing I want to do right now is give a speech, but I’ll try my very best. Thank you everyone. Thank you for all your support.
“I want to congratulate Elena on an incredible year, an incredible result. Well deserved. Enjoy it tonight, and have fun. So I can win some titles!
“I wish I could have performed a little bit better, but I guess there’s next year.”
She later spoke about smashing a ball into the crowd and breaking a racket during her press conference, saying: “It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for three-peat.
“I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside, right now or here or there on the court, I wouldn’t be able to say a word or I would just go not really nice over there. I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside.”
Tale of the Tape
Navratilova: Sabalenka simply did not know what to do – she usually dominates!
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Martina Navratilova said Sabalenka simply did not know what to do against Rybakina
Sky Sports Tennis’ Martina Navratilova:
“We do not see that. Usually it’s Sabalenka doing the bullying.
“I think that’s why Sabalenka didn’t know what to do. She’s used to dictating, to putting people on the defence, on their heels and rushing shots.
“Instead, it was all Rybakina doing that to her. And I did not expect that.
“It’s not that Sabalenka lost the match, Rybakina won it. She earned that win.
“It will be back to the drawing board for Sabalenka. What will she do next time if Rybakina is playing this well?”
Bartoli: Extraordinary Rybakina can do anything on a tennis court
Sky Sports Tennis Marion Bartoli:
“Can you imagine that her previous best result here was the fourth round?
“That’s extraordinary, to come here with all the pressure of the world, knowing she had the No 1 world ranking on her racket, to actually go on and win the title.
“The way she bounced back at the beginning of the third set tonight for me, was absolutely extraordinary.
“It looked like she completely forgot what happened at the backend of that second set, when she got caught on her own service game.
“She just kept on moving on, and moving forward all the time. The way she attacked Sabalenka’s serve all the time, putting her under so much pressure.
“The ball-striking from that young lady is just something else. She can do anything on the tennis court.
“She’s only missing Roland Garros now from completing a career Grand Slam.”
Robson: Key difference was Rybakina’s lights out backhand
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Laura Robson couldn’t contain her excitement ahead of the final
Sky Sports Tennis’ Laura Robson:
“We were excited about this final for good reason. Because of how well we know both of these players perform on big occasions like this.
“For Rybakina, without even crowd support on her side, she just did not flinch.
“Yes, you could maybe point to the double faults at the end, but under so much pressure, and Sabalenka trying everything to make a comeback in that third set, she just kept going for her shots.
“It is just unbelievable how hard both of these players hit the ball. Their timing is phenomenal.
“The difference today was the backhand from Rybakina, which was lights out from start to finish.”
The US Open is live on Sky Sports from August 30. Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App. You can also watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September live on Sky Sports.