Rybakina, With No. 1 Ranking Secured, Defeats Sabalenka to Win First US Open Title

World No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus to win the 2026 US Open, which offered a total prize pool of $108 million.

On the 14th day of the tournament held at Flushing Meadows in New York on the 12th (local time), Rybakina beat Sabalenka 2-1 (6-4 5-7 6-2) in the women's singles final, which lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes.

Having previously won Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026, Rybakina secured her third career major title.

By capturing two of the four major tournaments this year, she surpassed Sabalenka to rise to the undisputed summit of women's tennis.

In women's singles, which has seen an era of fierce competition, only three players over the past decade have won two major titles in a single year: Iga Swiatek in 2022 (French Open and US Open), Sabalenka in 2024 (Australian Open and US Open), and now Rybakina this year.

Rybakina had already secured the world No. 1 ranking for the upcoming week when she defeated Zheng Qinwen (ranked 121st, China) in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.

She also narrowed the gap in her head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 8 wins and 10 losses.

Rybakina will receive the winner's prize of $5.5 million (approx. 7.4 billion KRW), while Sabalenka takes home the runner-up prize of $2.8 million (approx. 37 billion KRW).

Sabalenka failed to achieve a third consecutive US Open title.

Her bid for a fifth career major title was also postponed to another day.

Rybakina took the early initiative by breaking Sabalenka's third service game in the first set.

She maintained her advantage by combining her signature powerful serve with targeted shots focusing on Sabalenka's somewhat shaky backhand on the day, ultimately claiming the first set.

Sabalenka did not go down easily.

In a tightly contested second set, leading 6-5 during Rybakina's service game, Sabalenka secured the set point with a brilliant passing shot followed by consecutive forehand errors from her opponent.

However, unforced errors piled up for Sabalenka in the third set.

Known for openly expressing her emotions, Sabalenka showed her frustration multiple times by slamming her racket on the court, while the composed Rybakina seized control of the momentum.

The momentum tipped decisively as Rybakina broke Sabalenka's second and fourth service games in the third set.

After securing the championship point with a service ace, Rybakina clenched both fists and raised them high.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.