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.
It was Rybakina’s third Grand Slam title, after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in January, where she also beat Sabalenka in the final. She had already secured the world No. 1 ranking by reaching the semi-finals, where she beat Coco Gauff in three sets.
How the final turned
Rybakina took the first set despite a shaky start on serve. Sabalenka fought back to break her for the first time in the final game of the second set, but Rybakina raced into a 4-1 lead in the decider and closed out the title with an ace.
Sabalenka’s streak ends
The defeat ended Sabalenka’s long unbeaten run in New York, where she had not lost since the 2023 final, and her bid to become only the third woman, after Chris Evert and Serena Williams, to win three US Opens in a row.
