Elena Rybakina won her first US Open title on Saturday, beating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final at Flushing Meadows.
The Kazakh player already knew before the match that she would replace Sabalenka as world number one whatever the result. Winning it made the handover complete.
It is Rybakina’s third Grand Slam title, after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year, and her second major of the season.
How it was won
Rybakina was the steadier player across the three sets. Her first serve misfired in the opening set, but a punishing return game carried her through it anyway and left Sabalenka visibly frustrated.
Sabalenka’s groundstrokes improved as Rybakina’s level dipped slightly in a tighter second set, and the Belarusian took her third break chance of the set by attacking a second serve in the 12th game to force a decider.
The loose shots returned in the third. Rybakina’s deep returning pinned Sabalenka to the baseline and she broke for a 2-1 lead she did not surrender. A double fault on her first championship point was the only sign of nerves; she answered it with an ace.
Sabalenka had been chasing a third consecutive US Open title and a way to soften the loss of the top ranking. She got neither.
A rivalry of opposites
The two have built one of the strongest rivalries in the women’s game on contrasting temperaments — Rybakina almost expressionless on court, Sabalenka openly combustible. At Flushing Meadows the difference told.
Rybakina rarely shows much, but allowed herself a brief smile at the finish, having won a title few had picked her for.
