It’s Rybakina who came out of the gate faster, stronger, and with fewer errors—serving hard and with pinpoint accuracy, and seemingly bloodless in her power and precision on her way to taking the first set 6-4 (hence her sometime nickname on tour, the “Ice Queen”). Sabalenka’s composure, meanwhile, was maybe best expressed by the warning she received early in the first set for ball abuse after sending one high into the crowd in a moment of frustration.
The two had faced each other 17 times before on the tour, with Sabalenka winning 10 of those matches—but they’d been dead even since 2023. Perhaps more crucially, they’d played each other in two Grand Slam finals (both at the Australian Open), with each player winning once.
Sabalenka (and her 83-carat Material Good necklace) struck back in the second set, sometimes fighting from behind to save crucial break points and delivering a virtuosic drop shot late in the set, winning it 7-5. But an early break in the third by Rybakina seemed to hint at the victory, and a second break minutes later essentially sealed the deal. In the end, the match was decided by Rybakina’s power game—both her serve and her groundstrokes—and her invincible consistency.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka hug at the net after a Women’s Singles championship match on Day Fourteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in Flushing, NY. (Photo by Pete Staples/USTA via Getty Images)Pete Staples/Getty Images
Rybakina—after a final serving game that included both two double-faults and the victory-sealing ace, expressed little emotion other than her usual mild smile at the moment of victory, while Sabalenka headed to her chair in tears and smashed her racket against the ground.
Sabalenka, in accepting the runner-up trophy, was again overcome by emotion, but was gracious in congratulating Rybakina. “I wish I could have performed a little bit better,” she finished, “but maybe next year.”
“Somehow, everything aligned together,” Rybakina said before accepting the winner’s trophy. “I’m falling in love with New York more and more.”
Rybakina celebrating championship point.
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