Rybakina denies Sabalenka’s 3-peat bid, claims US Open title

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Elena Rybakina played her best tennis in the final to reign supreme in this year’s US Open Grand Slam tournament, dethroning Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, on Sept. 13, 2026, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

With the win, the Kazakhstani ace rewrote her Grand Slam fate in New York, capping her maiden US Open title with her first-ever quarterfinal, semifinal, and final appearances since joining the tournament in 2019.

Following a hat trick of massive wins over Naomi Osaka, Qinwen Zheng, and Coco Gauff to advance to the championship match, Rybakina carried all that momentum against Sabalenka, who was outplayed in a high-octane ball-striking showdown.

Rybakina kicked off the final with a devastating return game, specifically targeting Sabalenka’s inconsistent second serves to settle into the match.

The consistent baseline aggressor tore a page from her playbook against Gauff, in which Rybakina capitalized on her sloppy second serves to generate easy points.

After copping the lone break of the first set, Rybakina then held her serve in the ensuing game, en route to a momentum-boosting 1-0 lead.

However, the defending champion woke up in the must-win second set, playing the frame with a sense of urgency to avoid defeat in the US Open final.

Sabalenka gave Rybakina a dose of her own medicine, applying more pressure on her second serves to help her claw back into the match.

The Belarusian star had enough of her baseline errors, immediately pouncing on Rybakina’s flat second serves with a total of nine return aces in the second set alone.

With a deciding set left to separate the two stars, it was Rybakina who answered the call, playing majestic tennis that caught Sabalenka off guard.

Rybakina entered the set with decisive hitting patterns and won most of the long rallies with deep, fast, and precise forehand down-the-line winners.

Midway through the third set, Rybakina started to pull away after scoring a break and followed it up with another in the fifth game to officially seize the momentum.

Just one point away from spoiling the reigning champion’s three-peat dream, Rybakina closed the show with a powerful service ace, which also prevented Sabalenka from forcing a deuce.

After two hours and 21 minutes of final action, Rybakina capped her championship campaign with 103 total points won, including 12 aces, three break points, and 41 return points.

“It’s tough to find words right now,” Rybakina said after winning the title.

“Didn’t expect anything like coming to this tournament. I’ve been dealing with a little bit of injury but somehow everything aligned together on my side. I want to say thank you to such beautiful spectators, amazing atmosphere.”