Rybakina beats Sabalenka to win first US Open title and seal rise to No. 1

Elena Rybakina won her first US Open singles title on Saturday, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in New York. The Associated Press reported that the victory completed a tournament in which the Kazakh had already secured enough ranking points to become world number one, ending Sabalenka's hold on both the trophy and the top ranking.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bav2acp0DNE

The win gave Rybakina her third Grand Slam singles championship and her second of 2026. She also beat Sabalenka in this year's Australian Open final, adding another hard-court major to the Wimbledon title she claimed in 2022. According to AP, the French Open is now the only major singles title missing from her career collection.

Rybakina prevailed in two hours and 21 minutes despite landing fewer than half of her first serves, AP reported. She created 12 break-point opportunities and converted three. Her run also marked a significant change in her record at Flushing Meadows: before this tournament, she had never progressed beyond the fourth round at the US Open.

For Sabalenka, the defeat ended her attempt to win the tournament for a third consecutive year. BBC Sport reported that she had spent 99 weeks at number one and will now move to second in the rankings. The Belarusian finishes the year's Grand Slam singles programme without a title for the first time since 2022, despite reaching both hard-court finals.

Sabalenka's frustration was visible after the match as she smashed a racquet before later explaining her reaction. She told BBC Sport that losing a major final while pursuing a third straight title had made her emotions difficult to control. She nevertheless praised Rybakina during her post-match interview and said there were positives to take from the level she had produced throughout the tournament.

The result leaves Sabalenka with four victories from nine Grand Slam singles finals, according to BBC Sport. All five defeats have come in three sets. Her season has still included WTA titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami, but Rybakina has beaten her in both of their major championship matches this year.