Well, here we go again. Jelena Rybakina walked into Arthur Ashe Stadium, looked across the net at Aryna Sabalenka, and did the thing she’s apparently contractually obligated to do in 2026: win. 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and just like that, Rybakina has her third Grand Slam title — and her second at Sabalenka’s expense in a single season.
Because let’s rewind for a second: this wasn’t a one-off. Rybakina also beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open final back in January. Sabalenka, for her part, got her revenge in Indian Wells and Miami — so the two have been trading haymakers all year like it’s some kind of extended, extremely expensive rivalry podcast. But when the lights are brightest and the trophy’s on the line? Rybakina’s the one lifting it.
The stat that actually matters here
Forget the head-to-head for a second (Sabalenka still leads 10-7 overall, for what that’s worth — not much, apparently, when it counts). The number that really stings for Sabalenka: 99 weeks. That’s how long she’d been parked at world No. 1 before Sunday night. Rybakina didn’t just win a tournament — she ended an era. New US Open champion, new world No. 1, same building.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, is stuck on a stat line that’s starting to feel a little cursed: nine Grand Slam finals, four titles. She’s collecting runner-up trophies at a pace that would make even the most patient tennis fan wince on her behalf.
First set: Rybakina reads her like a book
The opening set was basically a returning clinic. Rybakina’s first serve betrayed her early — a rough 27% landed in — but it didn’t matter, because she was busy dismantling Sabalenka’s service games instead. Three break points survived at 1-1 (barely), a break conceded at 2-2, and a near-disaster at 2-4 that Sabalenka just barely wriggled out of. Set one, Rybakina, 6-4. Textbook.
Second set: Sabalenka finds her fight (briefly)
Give Sabalenka this much — she didn’t fold. Rybakina had her cornered at 4-5, 15-40, staring down set point, and then… two wild, full-blooded winners from Sabalenka later, the danger had evaporated. Two games after that, the Belarusian finally cashed in her break and levelled things up, 7-5. For about twenty minutes, it looked like we were heading somewhere unpredictable.
We were not.
Third set: business as usual
Rybakina shook off whatever mild irritation she was carrying, broke Sabalenka right out of the gate at 1-1 off the back of some genuinely gorgeous returns, and then twisted the knife again at 4-2 while Sabalenka’s frustration became increasingly visible to anyone watching. From there it was a formality — Rybakina served it out and slammed the door shut with an ace on match point. Curtain.
What it means going forward
Three majors now for Rybakina — Wimbledon (2022) and, in the space of eight months, both hard-court Slams of 2026. She’s not just back at the top; she’s actively rewriting how this rivalry with Sabalenka gets talked about. And Sabalenka? She’s got a genuinely brutal question to sit with this offseason: how do you keep reaching finals and keep running into the exact same wall?
