Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will renew one of the WTA Tour’s biggest hard-court rivalries in Saturday’s US Open final, with the No. 1 ranking, 2,000 points and a record-defining New York title all in play.
Sabalenka and Rybakina set for US Open championship clash
SEO Title: Sabalenka vs Rybakina: 2026 US Open final preview, draw and ranking stakes
SEO Description: Aryna Sabalenka meets Elena Rybakina in the 2026 US Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the title, World No. 1 ranking and major history at stake.
The women’s singles final is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It will begin at 9 p.m. in Britain and 10 p.m. across central Europe.
Sabalenka, the top seed and reigning champion for the past two years, is chasing a third consecutive Flushing Meadows crown. No woman has completed that run in New York since Serena Williams won from 2012 through 2014.
Rybakina will play her first US Open final and her fourth major championship match overall. The Kazakh already beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open final earlier this season and is pursuing a second Grand Slam trophy of 2026.
Quick facts
- Sabalenka leads the head-to-head series 10-7 ahead of their 18th WTA meeting.
- The pair have divided their previous two Grand Slam finals.
- The singles winner receives $5.5 million and 2,000 ranking points; the runner-up earns $2.8 million and 1,300 points.
- Rybakina will become World No. 1 on Monday irrespective of the final result, with Sabalenka moving to No. 2.
- Saturday’s champion will lead the Race to the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, while the losing finalist will stand second.
Sabalenka has navigated a demanding route to her fourth straight US Open final. Her campaign began with wins over Camila Osorio, qualifier Polina Iatcenko, Kamilla Rakhimova and Taylor Townsend before she survived sixth seed Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6[7] in the quarterfinals.
She then beat third seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals, her 10th victory over the American. A title on Saturday would give Sabalenka a fifth major singles crown and extend her winning sequence at the US Open to 20 matches.
Rybakina opened with victories against wildcard Thea Frodin, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Yuliia Starodubtseva. She swept aside 13th seed Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4, then recovered from a set down against qualifier Zheng Qinwen to win 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Her semifinal required another comeback, as Rybakina overturned Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. It marked only her second Grand Slam recovery from a set behind against a top-10 opponent.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion has been particularly formidable against elite opposition since last year’s US Open. Rybakina owns an 18-6 record against top-10 players in that span, a 75% success rate that leads the tour.
She can also become the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to defeat former US Open champions in both the semifinal and final. Having eliminated Gauff, she would need to stop Sabalenka to achieve it.
Sabalenka has added further weight to her hard-court major record. She is the first player, woman or man, in the Open Era to reach eight successive Grand Slam finals on the surface, moving beyond the seven achieved by Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis and Novak Djokovic.
Still listed at No. 1 until the new rankings are issued Monday, Sabalenka is also the fifth player since 1988 to make at least five major finals while holding the top ranking. Steffi Graf reached 20, Serena Williams 14, while Monica Seles and Hingis each made nine.
Rybakina joins Henin, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Sabalenka as the fifth player in the past 20 years to contest both the Australian Open and US Open finals during one singles season.
Sabalenka expects a full-power contest against Rybakina’s serve and improved baseline game. She said the matchup will demand physical resilience and concentration, but added that she is prepared to fight for the trophy.
The Belarusian said her recent months have taught her to block outside distractions and stay with her established routine. She does not expect to alter that approach for the final.
Rybakina called Sabalenka an aggressive opponent with a major serve and said their matches often turn on a few decisions in tight moments. Her priorities are to bring maximum energy, serve at her best and choose the right plays under pressure.
While acknowledging the scale of a Grand Slam final, Rybakina said she does not intend to burden herself with extra pressure. With the leading players closely grouped in the rankings, she noted that the season still offers further opportunities after New York.
The US Open’s $108 million total prize fund also includes Friday’s women’s doubles final. Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend will face Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery at noon on September 11, with the champions splitting $1 million and the runners-up sharing $500,000.
