Elena Rybakina Crowned U.S. Open Champion

Elena Rybakina didn’t just take Aryna Sabalenka’s No. 1 ranking in New York. She walked onto Sabalenka’s court, onto Sabalenka’s stage, and ripped the U.S. Open trophy out of her hands.

On Saturday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 27-year-old completed a statement fortnight with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory, her first U.S. Open crown and the latest, loudest step toward a career Grand Slam.

A new No. 1, on her own terms

Rybakina arrived at Flushing Meadows already assured of climbing to the top of the rankings on Monday, regardless of what happened in the final. That could have been a technical, almost administrative coronation.

She made sure it wasn’t.

By beating the woman who had ruled New York for the past two years, Rybakina turned a numbers-driven ascent into a symbolic handover. Sabalenka had been the queen of this hard court, the two-time defending champion with a 19-match winning streak at the U.S. Open, unbeaten here since losing to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final. She was chasing history, trying to become the first player since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014 to win three straight titles in Queens.

Rybakina stopped that run cold.

“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly,” she admitted afterward. “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 alignment was ruthless.

A heavyweight final that lived up to its billing

This was only the third U.S. Open women’s final since 2000 to feature the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Serena Williams won the other two, beating Venus Williams in 2002 and Victoria Azarenka in 2013. On both occasions, the top seed prevailed.

Not this time.

Rybakina, seeded second, walked into a match that felt more like a title bout than a tennis final: Sabalenka’s raw power and emotional fire against Rybakina’s flat, skidding aggression and ice-cold demeanor.

She had already beaten Sabalenka on a hard court this year in the Australian Open final, and she leaned on that blueprint again. The first set went to Rybakina 6-4, her cleaner hitting and steadier serving edging out Sabalenka’s high-risk approach.

The second set twisted. Sabalenka, backed into a corner, began to swing even harder, and this time the lines obeyed. She dragged the match into a decider 7-5, feeding off the crowd and the familiar feeling of a fight on Ashe.

For a moment, it felt like Sabalenka’s script again.

The turning point

The third set opened with tension. Rybakina carved out a break point in the first game and then yanked a backhand wide. She showed rare frustration, a flash of emotion from a player who often looks carved from stone.

That was Sabalenka’s window. It closed almost instantly.

Rybakina reset, tightened her patterns, and began to dictate with that flat, penetrating baseline game that gives opponents no time to breathe. The rallies shortened. Sabalenka’s errors crept back in. The scoreboard tilted, then raced away.

From there, the match belonged to the new No. 1. Rybakina powered through the decider 6-2, seizing control of the court and, with it, Sabalenka’s throne in New York.

Sabalenka, who still leads their rivalry 10–8 and had beaten Rybakina at Indian Wells and Miami earlier this season, could only watch as this one slipped away.

“I really felt like home here and cannot wait to come back next year,” she said. “I wish I could perform a little bit better, but I guess next year.”

A career Grand Slam in sight

Rybakina’s rise has been steady rather than explosive. Born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan, she broke through with her first major at Wimbledon in 2022. This year, she added the Australian Open title, once again toppling Sabalenka on a hard court at Melbourne Park.

Now she has the U.S. Open as well, three different majors on three different stages, all before her 28th birthday.

Only Roland Garros remains.

A French Open title would complete a career Grand Slam and place her in the rarest company in the sport. Given the way she has learned to win on grass and hard courts, and the way she handled both the occasion and Sabalenka’s ferocity in New York, that chase no longer feels like a distant dream. It feels like the next logical step.

For now, the numbers tell a simple story: a new world No. 1, a first U.S. Open trophy, and a champion who didn’t just inherit a ranking but earned it on the biggest court of them all.

On Sunday, American Ben Shelton will face Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final, but the women’s tournament has already delivered its defining image: Elena Rybakina, trophy in hand, standing exactly where Aryna Sabalenka once ruled—and looking like she plans to stay.