Elena Rybakina Upsets Two-Time Champion Aryna Sabalenka at 2026 US Open

On Saturday, September 12th, No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina took on No. 1 seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final. Both players exhibited top form on the way to their last US Open appearance, and the match extended into a third set. Ultimately, it was the WTA’s newest No. 1 player who took home the trophy.

Rybakina Wins Her First US Open Title

Rybakina and Sabalenka both entered Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday with baseline power and deserved confidence. The threepeat-hopeful had only dropped one set on her way to the final, and her rival had dropped two. This naturally led to a tight first set where Rybakina narrowly won the first break of the match and took it all home at 6-4.

Sabalenka’s anger began to flare, and several critics claim this lack of emotional control contributed to her downfall. A ball abuse warning was given before the first set was even finished, and the neutral athlete’s demeanor continued to unravel in the face of Rybakina’s cool composure.

The defending champion did have a nice comeback in the second set, though, and her explosive, risky play secured a second set win 7-5. However, Rybakina’s steady play broke through once more, and she dominated the third set 6-2. This made for the 27-year-old player’s first US Open title and her third Grand Slam win overall.

The Rybakina-Sabalenka Rivalry

Rybakina’s triumph at Flushing Meadows is another major point in the growing rivalry between the two players. They have now played 18 matches against one another during their overlapping careers, and Sabalenka still leads their head-to-head count 10-8.

In this season alone, the two fierce competitors have faced one another four times. Sabalenka defeated the young Kazakhstani player at the Miami Open semifinals in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) and at the Indian Wells final in three (3-6, 6-3, 7-6). However, Rybakina won her first Australian Open final in January by defeating Sabalenka 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

Before this year, Sabalenka had won every Grand Slam match she’d played against Rybakina, but the latter kept the rivalry tight with back-to-back WTA Finals titles. This stunning upset at the 2026 US Open will rightfully add even more fire to what may be the most thrilling rivalry currently happening in women’s tennis.

Sabalenka’s Explosive Reaction

With her dreams of a third consecutive US Open title dashed, Sabalenka unsurprisingly took the loss hard. She responded by immediately smashing her racquet onto the ground until it broke. The 28-year-old then left the stadium to compose herself a bit before participating in official interviews.

On the Big T podcast, former women’s tennis coach Brad Gilbert called out Sabalenka’s behavior: "I don't think that's the place to break your racket and show disrespect to your opponent and then she kind of leaves the court a little bit to go and sit with her team." He was not alone in being concerned by the post-match display.

When interviewed after, Sabalenka did find enough composure to compliment Rybakina, saying “I'm obviously not really happy with the level I played today, but she served incredible. She played really aggressive, great tennis. Yeah, she was simply a better player today than me. I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had there today.”

Sabalenka also discussed her love of Flushing Meadows and the support she received from the stadium’s packed crowd: “Actually, at some point I felt like, Oh, my God, I feel American over there … I just wish I could, you know, win it and feel the support even more. Yeah, not this year.”

Rybakina’s Post-Match Comments

In a post-match interview, Rybakina finally allowed herself to get a bit emotional: “I want to say thank you to such beautiful spectators for an amazing atmosphere. I honestly was coming here for the last ten years, and it was never successful. Nothing close to that. It's just incredible. I’m falling in love with New York more and more. These are amazing memories for me.”

Rybakina also showed quite a bit of grace and thanked Sabalenka for giving her such a challenging time. “You are a great champion,” she added. “You push me to such a limit. I was driving on the court and just trying to get all the possible balls.”

The young Kazakhstani player was not heavily favored to win the US Open title due to a recent injury, which she also acknowledged: “It's tough to find words right now. I didn't expect anything like this coming to this tournament. I've been dealing a bit with an injury. Somehow everything aligned together on my side.”

In a later interview with Malika Andrews and Caroline Wozniacki for ESPN, Rybakina still seemed so happy and stunned, saying, “To be honest, I have no words. What a tournament … It’s just incredible. I can’t believe [it] still. It’s, uh, I mean. No words, no words.”

Add us as a preferred source on Google