Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka to win the U.S. Open title and punctuate her rise to No. 1

Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, holds the trophy after she won the women's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

NEW YORK — Elena Rybakina won her first U.S. Open title and punctuated her climb to the top of women’s tennis by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Saturday.

Rybakina had already been guaranteed to replace Sabalenka at No. 1 in the rankings next week and for good measure took the U.S. Open title that Sabalenka had won the previous two years.

It was the third Grand Slam title for Rybakina and the second this year -- both against Sabalenka on hard courts. She opened the season by beating Sabalenka for the Australian Open title.

This time, she stopped Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at the U.S. Open, where she hadn’t lost since falling to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final.

Rybakina earned US$5.5 million, the largest prize in Grand Slam history, and tied Sabalenka and French Open winner Mirra Andreeva with a tour-high three titles this season.

Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press