On September 12 local time, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 in the 2026 US Open women’s singles final to claim her first singles title in New York. She denied her opponent a third consecutive US Open crown and secured her own third major. During the tournament, she had already accumulated enough points to become world No. 1 for the first time when the WTA rankings updated on Monday.
The top two seeds meet in the final
The final brought together the top two seeds: Sabalenka was the two-time defending champion, while Rybakina was seeded second.
Key breaks shape all three sets
Rybakina broke first in the opening set to lead 3–2 and maintained that advantage to the end of the set.
The second set became a tighter contest. At 5–5, Sabalenka held a crucial service game and then broke in the next return game to take the set 7–5 and level the match.
In the deciding set, Rybakina again broke early to establish a 2–1 lead, then pulled further clear later on. Serving for the title, she missed her first championship point before using her serve to finish the match, taking the set 6–2.
A second major of the season, with world No. 1 to follow on Monday
This was the second time Rybakina had beaten Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final that year, having already won the Australian Open women’s singles title.
Rybakina left New York with the trophy and would officially rise to the top of the rankings on September 14. Sabalenka’s attempt to win three straight US Open titles ended in the final.
Women’s singles final: set-by-set result
| Player | First set | Second set | Third set | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rybakina | 6 | 5 | 6 | Champion |
| Sabalenka | 4 | 7 | 2 | Runner-up |
