US Open: Rybakina defeats Sabalenka to claim women's singles title
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New York: Elena Rybakina defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open women's singles title on Saturday, completing a memorable Grand Slam season with her third Major crown.
Rybakina secured the victory in 2 hours and 21 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Having also beaten Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January, Rybakina has now bookended her Grand Slam season with victories over the Belarusian and moved to within one Roland Garros title of completing the Career Slam.
The triumph was Rybakina's first US Open title and also ended Sabalenka's 99-week reign as world No. 1. Rybakina accumulated enough ranking points to move to the top spot when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Rybakina became the third player since 2000 to win both the Australian Open and US Open in the same season, joining Angelique Kerber, who achieved the feat in 2016, and Sabalenka, who did so in 2024.
The title was Rybakina's third of 2026 and the 14th of her career.
With the victory, Rybakina improved her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 8-10 on the WTA Tour. Her last three victories over Sabalenka have all come in major finals, including the WTA Finals championship match last year, the Australian Open final in January and Saturday's US Open final.
By defeating Sabalenka, Rybakina became the first player to beat the defending women's singles champion in a US Open final since Serena Williams defeated the defending champion in 2002. She is also the first player to achieve the feat in a Grand Slam final since Madison Keys defeated the defending champion at the 2025 Australian Open.
Rybakina also became the first player to defeat the world No. 1 in a US Open final since Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in 2012.
For Sabalenka, the 2026 US Open was her final opportunity to win a Grand Slam title this year, having claimed at least one Major in every season since 2023. She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open, where she defeated Rybakina in the final.
With IANS inputs