Rybakina beats Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to take the US Open and world No. 1

Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The win is her first title in New York, her third Grand Slam, and the result that puts her at world No. 1 when the rankings update on Monday. Sabalenka's run at the top ends at 99 consecutive weeks.

The final lasted 2 hours 21 minutes. Rybakina took the first set when Sabalenka sent a backhand long. Sabalenka converted a third set point to win the second 7-5. Rybakina broke in the third and seventh games of the decider, dropped only three points on serve in that set, and closed with her 12th ace after a double fault on the first championship point at 40-15.

The cheque is $5.5 million for the winner and $2.8 million for the runner-up. Sabalenka smashed a racket after the last ball. She had won 20 straight matches at Flushing Meadows and was one title short of the three-peat Serena Williams and Chris Evert completed in New York.

A rivalry that now runs through two hard-court majors

Rybakina, 27, was born in Russia and plays for Kazakhstan. She already owned Wimbledon 2022 and the 2026 Australian Open, also won against Sabalenka. She is the third woman this century to take both hard-court majors in the same year, after Sabalenka and Angelique Kerber. The Flushing final was the first top-two women's singles final at the US Open since 2013.

On hard courts Rybakina now leads 8-7 by one published count. In tournament finals she is 5-2 against Sabalenka. Six of Rybakina's ten wins over a sitting world No. 1 have come against this opponent. She had already locked up the No. 1 ranking by beating Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals. Monday's list only confirms what the points table already showed.

An ankle problem had followed Rybakina into the fortnight. She said after the match she had not expected this draw when she arrived. Sabalenka still owns four majors, all on hard courts: two Australians and two US Opens. She still owns the ordinary-week head-to-head edge. She does not own the last two major finals against this opponent.

What the ranking change actually moves

Ninety-nine weeks is a long tenancy. Rybakina's serve wrote the last set. Twelve aces, a love-hold pattern in the first set, six winners and no unforced errors through the first six games. Sabalenka put 14 of her 35 unforced errors in the opening set. The third set was shorter and cleaner. Up 5-2, Rybakina double-faulted on the first match point and then hit the ace.

The men's final was still to come when she lifted the cup. The women's ranking, the New York title and the Australian title now sit with the same player. Sabalenka said she felt at home in New York and would be back. The draw in Melbourne in January will show whether the hard-court majors have a new default final or a one-year swap at the top.

For the rest of the field the useful fact is narrower. Rybakina can win a major final on a bad ankle and still serve an ace on the second championship point. That is the number other players will take into the autumn, not the 99 weeks that just ended.