Elena Rybakina completed a landmark US Open run on Saturday, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to lift her first title in New York and secure the World No. 1 ranking she will take over on Monday.
Key takeaways
- Rybakina ended Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at the US Open in a three-set championship match.
- The new champion struck 12 aces and 36 winners while winning 85% of points behind her first serve.
- Maria Sharapova presented the trophy, 20 years after winning her own US Open crown.
- Rybakina has now won five of seven finals played against Sabalenka.
- The victory delivered Rybakina’s third Grand Slam singles title, following Wimbledon 2022 and this year’s Australian Open.
Rybakina takes control of the New York final
On the hard courts of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Rybakina found enough precision and power to deny Sabalenka a third consecutive title at Flushing Meadows. Although only 47% of her first serves landed, she was exceptionally effective when they did, collecting 85% of those points.
Her 12 aces, 36 winners and 24 unforced errors gave Rybakina the cleaner statistical line in a final that swung through three sets. Sabalenka recovered from losing the opener to force a decider, but Rybakina pulled away 6-2 in the third to finish the job.
The result was Rybakina’s eighth victory from 18 career meetings with Sabalenka. Their title-match record is more emphatic: she has won five of their seven finals.
By beating the reigning champion in the final, Rybakina became the first player to do so at the US Open since Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams in the 2002 championship match.
She also joined Steffi Graf as the only players since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to defeat the World No. 1 in more than one Grand Slam final during the same season.
A new No. 1 and a breakthrough fortnight
Rybakina’s New York title adds to her Wimbledon triumph in 2022 and her Australian Open success earlier this season. Since the beginning of 2020, only Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina have collected at least three major singles trophies.
The Australian Open-US Open double also places Rybakina alongside Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Angelique Kerber and Sabalenka as the only women since 1988 to win both hard-court majors in the same calendar year.
Her route through the draw included victories over three former US Open champions: Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Sabalenka. Only Serena Williams in 1999 and Justine Henin in 2007 had previously beaten three former champions at a single US Open in the Open Era.
Rybakina also maintained her perfect record after taking the first set in New York. She is now 13-0 in those matches, though this was the first occasion on which she required a third set after winning the opener.
The run represented a dramatic change from her previous results at the tournament. Before this campaign, Rybakina had never advanced beyond the fourth round at the US Open.
Sharapova, who beat Justine Henin in three sets to win the 2006 US Open, returned for the 20th anniversary of that championship and handed Rybakina the trophy. Sharapova later described this visit as considerably less stressful than her own final two decades earlier.
Rybakina said meeting Sharapova was particularly meaningful. She recalled seeing the former World No. 1 near the locker room before one of Sharapova’s matches early in Rybakina’s career, but said their conversation this time was a special experience after watching Sharapova win major titles on television. She added that Sharapova was very kind.
New York had already made a strong impression when Rybakina first visited as a junior 10 years ago. She described the city as loud and unlike other tournament stops, while noting that packed courts and strong crowd energy have remained a feature of the event. Her past results in the city had not matched that affection, but the new champion said she hopes future visits will again last through the final weekend.
SEO title: Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka to win US Open and become World No. 1
SEO description: Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final, ending the defending champion’s 19-match streak and claiming the World No. 1 ranking.
