Kazakhstan's star tennis player Elena Rybakina has created history in the women's singles final of the US Open 2026, the fourth and last Grand Slam of the year, played at the prestigious Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. This great match, which lasted three sets between the two best players in the world in a packed stadium, was very exciting and breath-taking. 27-year-old Rybakina displayed amazing mental composure and aggressive baseline play to capture the trophy by defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. With this spectacular victory, Rybakina not only won the third Grand Slam title of her career, but also strengthened her claim to become the world number one player in the WTA rankings.
Belarus's ace player Arina Sabalenka had come on the court in this title match with the intention of setting a historic record. She was on the verge of becoming the third female player in the Open Era to win the US Open three consecutive times. Before him, this amazing feat was recorded only in the names of great personalities like Chris Evert and Serena Williams. Apart from this, Sabalenka was going unbeaten after winning 20 consecutive matches on the hard court of Flushing Meadows. However, under the pressure of the final, Sabalenka's unforced mistakes and Rybakina's impeccable serving brought this whole victory procession to a halt. Sabalenka was dreaming of scoring a title hat-trick in New York for the first time since 2014, which was shattered with this defeat.
This title win of Elena Rybakina is an example of her fighting spirit. He suffered a serious ankle injury during a practice session just before the start of the tournament, which raised serious questions about his participation in the main draw. Despite this, the 27-year-old player ignored the pain and displayed incredible tennis for two weeks. Rybakina, who won the Wimbledon grass court title in 2022, lifted the Australian Open trophy in January this year and has now proved that she is one of the most complete players in the world on every surface by winning the US Open on the fast hard courts of New York.
The final was a reprise of the Australian Open final earlier this year, where Rybakina defeated Sabalenka to deny her a hat-trick of titles in Melbourne. However, Sabalenka then settled the account of her old defeat by defeating Rybakina in straight sets in the final of Indian Wells and the semi-finals of Miami Open. This was the 15th overall meeting between the two top rivals played on hard courts. With this decisive win, Rybakina took her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 8-7, highlighting the intense rivalry between the two in women's tennis.
Right from the beginning of the match, Rybakina's first serve and accurate backhand winner was overwhelming Sabalenka, which helped her win the first set 6-4. In the second set, Sabalenka came back with her trademark aggressive forehands and powerful volleys, winning the set 7–5 and taking the match to a decisive third set. In the third set, when it seemed that the momentum had turned towards Sabalenka, Rybakina displayed her usual calm nature. She attacked Sabalenka's second serve hard and got two consecutive service breaks to win the set 6-2 and the championship. Sabalenka's double faults and backhand errors in the final ultimately proved fatal for her.