By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 10, 2026
Photo credit: Garrett Ellwood/USTA
NEW YORK—Aryna Sabalenka strives for roll reversal versus Elena Rybakina in the US Open final
Reigning US Open champion Sabalenka dismantled Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 driving into her fourth straight US Open final with her most imposing performance of the tournament. Sabalenka is the first woman in Open Era history to reach eighth straight Grand Slam hard-court finals.
Australian Open champion Rybakina rallied past fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 into her maiden US Open final.
Though Sabalenka is the top seed, Rybakina rises to world No. 1 when the new WTA rankings are released on Monday regardless of the outcome of Saturday’s 4 p.m. final. Rybakina supplants Sabalenka as new No. 1 and now tries to dethrone her rival as US Open champion.
Playing to become the first woman to three-peat as US Open champion since Serena Williams (2012-2014), Sabalenka said it is a weird dynamic to know she can hoist the title trophy for the third straight year only to see world No. 1 ranking slip from her grip anyway.
“I really understand about how tough it is to reach the World No. 1. It’s a lot of work, and yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season,” Sabalenka said. “Elena took it over and played really well, and she took away No. 1 position. But not much I could do about that, but I can only focus on myself and just stay in the moment and trying to do my best right now just so I keep it tight and maybe I will take it back from her.
“But, yeah, it does feel a little bit weird. You can perform well in the tournament but still be taken away No. 1 position. So it’s okay. It’s sport. I love that. That’s the beauty of sport, right? Like, everyone chasing everyone, and it’s all about little things that you improve and you get better at.”
The US Open final is a rematch of the Australian Open final and a clash of Grand Slam streaks.
Sabalenka is empowered by a 19-match US Open winning streak, while Rybakina rides a 13-match major hard-court winning streak into the final. Rybakina aiming to become the third woman this century to win Melbourne and New York in the same season.
“It’s going to be really tough match. She’s a big server,” Sabalenka said of Rybakina. “She really improved over the years on the baseline game, so it’s going to be physically and mentally tough match.
“But, as I said, I’m ready for the fight. I’m ready to do everything to get the win, so I’m excited for that match.”
The last major final clash between the premier power players was a match of streaks in Melbourne.
Spiraling through a five-game slide, Rybakina teetered on the edge of oblivion in the Australian Open final.
A resilient Rybakina responded with a rousing title run.
Rybakina reeled off six of the last seven games stunning world No. 1 Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to capture her maiden Australian Open championship with a committed comeback.
Bringing her best against the best, Rybakina became the fourth woman to defeat the world’s Top 2-ranked players—No. 1 Sabalenka and No. 2 Iga Swiatek—en route to the title. Rybakina also made her mark as the first woman since Naomi Osaka in 2019 to beat three Top 10 opponents and win the AO championship.
It was Rybakina’s 10th straight Top 10 win. After Melbourne, Sabalenka remained world No. 1, but Rybakina solidified her status as world’s most dangerous player.
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