Elena Rybakina completed an improbable fortnight at Flushing Meadows on Saturday, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2 to win her first US Open title and take her place as world No. 1.
The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan entered the tournament with serious doubts over a foot injury aggravated during her Cincinnati quarter-final against Iga Swiatek last month. That match came a little over a week before the US Open began. An MRI after Rybakina arrived in New York did not look good, and she was unable to walk without pain for several days.
She had no on-court training for a week before the tournament. Yet Rybakina moved through the opening stages without dropping a set in her first four matches, including a victory over four-time major winner Naomi Osaka. She then beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals and third seed Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Her semi-final place also confirmed her ascent to world No. 1. The final then gave Rybakina the chance to complete the tournament against Sabalenka, the top seed and two-time defending US Open champion.
Rybakina made a difficult start on serve in the opening set, landing only 27% of her first serves. She still won 22 of 30 points behind her serve and did not face a break point, taking the set 6-4.
Sabalenka levelled the match by winning the second set 7-5. Rybakina regained control in the decider, winning it 6-2 to secure her third Grand Slam title overall.
The victory was her second Grand Slam title in 2026 on hard courts, and both have come against Sabalenka. Rybakina also defeated her in the Australian Open final in January 2026.
After the final, Rybakina said “some magic is happening” for her. The title capped a tournament in which a player unable to walk pain-free in the days after arriving in New York won seven matches and emerged with the sport's leading ranking.
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