At 30-all on Sabalenka\u2019s serve, the service box is shrinking for Sabalenka as she double faults. And my computer freezes, such is the drama. When it recovers, Rybakina has broken from deuce and is serving for the title at 5-2, 30-0, having lost only one point on serve in this deciding set.<\/p>\n
Much like the first set, it\u2019s been near-perfect from Rybakina \u2026 so, not on cue, she double faults. 30-15 \u2026 40-15 \u2026 two championship points \u2026 another double \u2026 but Rybakina, fittingly given her domination on serve today, secures her first US Open title with an ace! Having already seized the world No 1 ranking from Sabalenka, Rybakina has rubbed salt into her wounds by taking her US Open title! It\u2019s Rybakina\u2019s first in New York, her third grand slam overall, and having beaten Sabalenka in this year\u2019s Australian Open final too, she\u2019s now the undisputed player of 2026 on hard courts. Sabalenka smashes her racket into the court; she\u2019ll end the season without a slam for the first time since 2022.<\/p>\n
Elena Rybakina Rybakina beats Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open. Photograph: Julian Finney\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.42 EDT<\/p>\n Third set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 7-5, 2-4 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Sabalenka stops the run of three games against her with a hold to 30, but she can\u2019t do any damage on Rybakina\u2019s serve, as it goes by in a 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game Rybakina blur. Sabalanka has played 17 more points on her serve than Rybakina during this final, such is the effort she\u2019s having to make to hold compared with the player who\u2019s about to depose her as the world No 1 \u2026 and as the US Open champion too, unless she can find a way to break soon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Third set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 7-5, 1-3 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n At 15-all, Sabalenka is making so much noise during the point, such is the effort she\u2019s having to make \u2013 but it\u2019s still not enough as Rybakina finishes Sabalenka off with a drop-shot\/volley combo. And then backs up that prolonged point with a 10th ace. 40-15. The crowd think she\u2019s hit another on game point but it\u2019s out. The second serve lands, though, and Sabalenka concedes the point when she blazes into the tramlines. Rybakina has backed up the break and Sabalenka lifts her racket above her head, as if it\u2019s a resistance band and she\u2019s trying to stretch out any tension. Despite snatching that second set, it hasn\u2019t taken long for her to look agitated again. As for Rybakina \u2026 you wouldn\u2019t know if she was in the opening game or about to win the title. Her face is betraying little emotion.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.28 EDT<\/p>\n Rybakina breaks: Sabalenka 4-6, 7-5, 1-2 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n So this third set has started as the first and second did, with Rybakina piling on the pressure on Sabalenka\u2019s serve and whizzing through her own, and a punchy return brings up 15-30. A rare rally of nine shots follows, Sabalenka the aggressor and Rybakina producing some superb defence, and Rybakina\u2019s defence wins out. 15-40, two break points. Sabalenka pulls off a one-two punch straight out of the coach\u2019s textbook on the first, can\u2019t quite do the same on the second \u2026 and she goes on to whack beyond the baseline! Rybakina strikes first in this decider. We only had one break of serve in each of the opening two sets \u2013 could this break prove decisive too?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.19 EDT<\/p>\n Third set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 7-5, 1-1 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n \u2026 before Rybakina eases through serve with the minimum of fuss: 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Third set: Sabalenka 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n So for the 11th time in their 18 matches, this one is going the distance. Their rivalry really is turning into one that could define the current era. Sabalenka surged back from a set down to win their 2023 Australian Open final 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 \u2026 while Rybakina won this year\u2019s Australian Open final after coming from 3-0 behind in the deciding set to prevail 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. How this grand slam final trilogy will play out now is anyone\u2019s guess. Yes, the momentum is with Sabalenka \u2013 but I still feel if Rybakina plays to her absolute best and can hold her nerve (which she didn\u2019t at the end of the second set), this is hers for the taking. She\u2019s pushing hard in the opening game of the decider, getting to advantage on Sabalenka\u2019s serve, but Sabalenka saves it and blasts her way through the next two points to hold.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Total points won in the first two sets: Rybakina 71 Sabalenka 71.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Sabalenka wins the second set 7-5<\/p>\n \u201cHi Katy, is it just me or is this an awful match?\u201d asks Drew Whitehead. \u201cVery few rallies or variety of shot. It\u2019s consistently coming down to who can hit a shot with decent depth and the other player not having an answer. Rybakina making fewer errors so will probably win but its hardly memorable stuff.\u201d You\u2019re never going to get too many prolonged rallies with these two \u2013 it\u2019s all or nothing on most points \u2013 but, for me, the power of the hitting can still take the breath away. And then just to show us she does have variety too, Sabalenka conjures up a wonderful drop shot on her way to deuce. Will it be game point or set point? Set point, when Rybakina blinks with an edgy, edgy forehand! So it\u2019s a third SP to add to the two Sabalenka had at 5-4 \u2026 and Sabalenka bludgeons a backhand return down the line! Somehow, having been second best for much of this match, Sabalenka has taken this to a third set!<\/p>\n Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.08 EDT<\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka 4-6, 6-5 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n At 30-all on Sabalenka\u2019s serve, Rybakina has her opponent there for the taking \u2026 but her backhand slumps into the net. A let-off for Sabalenka. But Rybakina isn\u2019t feeling so charitable at 40-30, and a vicious forehand deep to Sabalenka\u2019s right isn\u2019t coming back. Deuce. Advantage Sabalenka. Most of the 24,000-strong crowd are urging Sabalenka on \u2013 they want another set of this \u2013 but they\u2019re gasping when Sabalenka thwacks into the net. And in raptures when she lands a HUGE serve. Advantage Sabalenka. Game Sabalenka as, with a strike of lightning, she nervelessly dispatches an overhead. She\u2019s got herself at least a tie-break and credit to her for the way she\u2019s stayed with Rybakina in this second set after Rybakina\u2019s first-set dominance.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 5-5 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n There\u2019s some apprehension on the second point as Rybakina double faults \u2026 before spraying a wild forehand! 15-30. Well, well. Sabalenka is two points from winning the set. And Sablanka produces perhaps her best shot of the match with a bullet of a backhand return winner at full stretch! 15-40 \u2026 not only two break points (her first of the final), but two set points. Now it\u2019s Sabalenka\u2019s turn to spray a forehand, so the first SP has gone \u2026 and the second vanishes too, when Sabalenka goes all-out on her return and just misses. A wry smile from Sabalenka. But she\u2019s bashing the ball in anger when she can\u2019t cope with Rybakina\u2019s depth of shot at deuce. And Rybakina completes her escape act with a one-two punch! This set is reaching some climax.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.47 EDT<\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka 4-6, 5-4 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Having won 23 of her past 24 tie-breaks at grand slam level (including two against the Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in their quarter-final), perhaps Sabalenka thinks her best chance will be to get this set to 6-6 and hopefully take it on the breaker. And she moves a game closer to that, with a second successive hold to love. Her forehand looks steadier, as does her mind, and perhaps Rybakina will start to feel a little tension, knowing she must hold to stay in the second. She hasn\u2019t shown any of that so far in this final, though. She\u2019s been unflinching.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 4-4 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n But Sabalenka has steadied herself somewhat in this set, and claims a welcome hold to love, to maintain the scoreboard pressure. Maybe that\u2019ll give her a bit more energy to push on Rybakina\u2019s serve \u2026 but the soon-to-be world No 1 glides to 40-15. Sabalenka pulls off an unlikely winner on the run, despite losing her balance, but that\u2019s as good as it gets for her, as Rybakina holds to 30.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 3-3 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n It seems she can at 15-all, when Rybakina hits an inviting ball in the air \u2026 it\u2019s ready to be crunched down \u2026 but Sabalenka gets her backhand drive volley all wrong. And hangs her head in despair. So it\u2019s 30-15 \u2026 and in the blink of an eye game. Navratilova is discussing whether Sabalenka\u2019s nerves have been a problem so far, or if it\u2019s more the quality of Rybakina\u2019s play, and she reckons the latter, as do I. Yes, Sabalenka has beaten Rybakina more than Rybakina has beaten her, leading the head-to-head 10-7, but when Rybakina is fully fit and firing, playing at her absolute peak, I\u2019m not sure anyone can live with her – Sabalenka included.<\/p>\n Photograph: Sarah Yenesel\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.14 EDT<\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka 4-6, 3-2 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n A rare smile from Sabalenka as she comes out on top in a game of cat and mouse for 40-15. She backs that up with a winning drop shot and that\u2019s her most comfortable hold in about 30 minutes. That will have erased some of her frustrations \u2026 but can she build on it?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 2-2 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s got such easy power, she reminds me of Lindsay Davenport,\u201d notes Navratilova, as Rybakina advances to 30-15 \u2013 and very quickly 40-15. And a fourth ace secures the game. Yes she\u2019s got such effortless power, it almost looks as if she\u2019s not trying. Though she most certainly is. Making the world No 1 look so panicked and rushed is no easy feat.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka 4-6, 2-1 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Fault lines are appearing on Sabalenka\u2019s side of the court again at 30-all, as she batters a backhand into the net, her footwork off, handing Rybakina a break point. But Rybakina\u2019s return loops long. Deuce. Sabalenka tries to take matters into her own hands on the next point, charging to the net, but Rybakina rips an attempted pass, and while Sabalenka gets her racket to it (just), she can\u2019t get the ball back into play! Advantage Rybakina, a second BP. She shows immense courage under Rybakina\u2019s fire to save it. And, buoyed by that, Sabalenka holds. She\u2019s roaring and fist-pumping, and only time will tell how crucial that hold turns out to be. Rybakina is now only 1\/7 on break points.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.21 EDT<\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka* 4-6, 1-1 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n That was only the second set Sabalenka has conceded this tournament \u2013 the other was in her quarter-final against the Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova \u2013 but Sabalenka will, at least, remind herself that she came from a set down to win the 2023 Australian Open final against Rybakina, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. And she\u2019s down, quite literally, in this game, as she loses her footing at 40-30, which allows Rybakina to secure the hold.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Second set: Sabalenka 4-6, 1-0 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Sabalenka leaves the court briefly before the second set starts, and she\u2019ll be desperately hoping that Rybakina can\u2019t maintain this level for another set. It appears that way as an errant forehand from Rybakina helps Sabalenka to 40-15 on serve, but another beautiful backhand strike from Rybakina and it\u2019s 40-30. Sabalenka edges through from there.<\/p>\n Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in action. Photograph: Robert Deutsch\/IMAGN IMAGES\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.16 EDT<\/p>\n The most surprising stat from that set, given how impressive Rybakina was, is that she landed only 28% (!) of first serves. But she did win 88% of those points \u2013 and crucially 64% of points on Sabalenka\u2019s second serve. And Sabalenka hasn\u2019t been able to keep up with the pace of Rybakina\u2019s groundstrokes; she\u2019s being rushed and overpowered, especially on Rybakina\u2019s backhand.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Rybakina wins the first set 6-4<\/p>\n An inauspicious start from Rybakina as she slips 0-15 down \u2026 but Sabalenka snatches at her backhand return on the second point and it\u2019s 15-all. Rybakina then shows Sabalenka how it\u2019s done on the backhand with a huge hit for 30-15 \u2026 but perhaps there are a few nerves as she double faults! She can\u2019t land her first serve on the next point either \u2026 does her second .. Sabalenka gets the ball into play \u2026 but then inexplicably nets a forehand on her next shot! She\u2019s not only fighting her opponent but the ball right now. So Rybakina has set point at 40-30 \u2026 and Sabalenka slams an inside-in forehand into the corner to save it! After so many short, sharp points, the longest rally of the match plays out at nine shots, and Rybakina nails a backhand winner. Set point No 2. Rybakina is well on top \u2026 sending a desperate Sabalenka this way and that \u2026 and Sabalenka eventually decides she\u2019s had enough and hits long! That was a lights-out set by Rybakina, but, in true Rybakina style, she barely celebrates.<\/p>\n Photograph: Julian Finney\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.15 EDT<\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka 4-5 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n With Sabalenka serving to stay in the set, she does, though, belligerently hold to 15, angrily smacking down a third ace in the process. Back to you, Elena \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka* 3-5 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n \u201cHi Katy,\u201d emails Kerrith Britland. \u201cThe reassurance of having a great serve is the difference here. Sabalenka seems a bit edgy already, and feeling like you\u2019re behind in a point before it\u2019s even begun is a claustrophobic place. Rybakina in two.\u201d Yes, Sabalenka is struggling to breathe here. If she doesn\u2019t land her first serve, Rybakina is jumping all over her second, and Rybakina, under less pressure on her own serve, has more energy to go for the kill on Sabalenka\u2019s. That said, Sabalenka does, at least, get to deuce on Rybakina\u2019s serve for the first time here, as Sharapova, Sabatini and Capriati look on approvingly from the stands, but she can\u2019t make any further inroads. And Sabalenka is berating herself once more. Maybe she needs that trio to come on to court and help her out \u2013 with Rybakina in this form, 4 v 1 may make this a fair contest.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka 3-4 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n After 25 minutes, Rybakina makes her first unforced error. Though given the weight of Sabalenka\u2019s shot, let\u2019s call it a forced unforced error. She still has a point for the double break at 30-40 though \u2026 but can\u2019t capitalise. And Sabalenka survives. Though she still looks absolutely furious with her predicament.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka* 2-4 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n 15-0, 30-0, 40-0. Game. Rybakina\u2019s still on zero unforced errors. This reminds me of the opening set Roger Federer played in the 2004 final against Lleyton Hewitt, probably the greatest set of tennis I\u2019ve ever seen live. Nevermind a watermelon, he saw the ball like a beachball that day. Sabalenka has been left reeling by Rybakina\u2019s pace and is basically being out-Sabalenkaed.<\/p>\n Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina in action. Photograph: Eduardo Mu\u00f1oz\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.49 EDT<\/p>\n Rybakina breaks: Sabalenka 2-3 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Sabalenka is blown off the baseline as Rybakina\u2019s return comes back at her before she\u2019s even had a chance to set herself properly. So it\u2019s 15-30 for the second successive Sabalenka service game. Sabalenka comes back for 30-all, but loses her balance again when attempting a cross-court backhand. \u201cRybakina\u2019s seeing the ball like a watermelon right now,\u201d says an admiring Navratilova. And Sabalenka, all too aware of that, goes for too much on a second serve and surrenders the first break with a double fault! Sabalenka angrily swats the ball halfway to Manhattan, and receives a code violation for ball abuse. She\u2019ll need to be on her best behaviour now, otherwise she\u2019ll receive a point deduction. But her biggest concern right now is the way Rybakina is playing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka* 2-2 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Spike Lee and Pink are also in attendance. I wonder if they\u2019ve bumped any of the influencers up into the nosebleed seats. But in more important matters, at 15-all, Sabalenka opens up the court with a sliced forehand, before striding forwards to put away the short ball. 15-30 .. the first points she\u2019s won on Rybakina\u2019s serve. So Rybakina does what Rybakina does, calmly and smoothly serving her way to 40-30, before securing the game when Sabalenka nets. Four games in, Rybakina is yet to hit an unforced error and has six winners. It\u2019s fairly flawless, but she\u2019ll just wish she had a break to show for her work too.<\/p>\n Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.10 EDT<\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka 2-1 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be interesting to see which player the crowd sides with in this final. Sabalenka wears her heart on her sleeve more, so perhaps that\u2019ll get the fans behind her, though as she\u2019s the two-time defending champion and Rybakina is almost the challenger (even though she\u2019s the incoming world No 1), that could get the supporters more in Rybakina\u2019s corner. At the moment they\u2019re loudly applauding Rybakina\u2019s hitting, who\u2019s managing to land the first strike more often than not, and a ripping pass brings up 15-40, the first break points! Sabalenka saves the first with a snarling forehand down the line \u2026 and the second with another clean winner! Wow. Already this is breathless hitting from both players. But Sabalenka can\u2019t find a first serve in this game \u2026 and at deuce she can\u2019t find a second serve either as she double faults. So a third break point \u2026 and Sabalenka repels this one too with an overhead backed up by a winning volley! And from a second deuce Sabalenka holds, sealing the game with her first ace. She\u2019s fist-pumping and C\u2019MONING like this is the third set rather than the third game.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka* 1-1 Rybakina (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Sabalenka smacks a forehand into the net on the opening point, and her defences break down on the second, with Rybakina pummelling Sabalenka\u2019s backhand. And Rybakina\u2019s serve is too hot for Sabalenka to handle from 30-0, with the Belarusian firing one return long and another into the net. So Rybakina has seen Sabalenka\u2019s opening service game and raised it with a love hold.<\/p>\n Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Photograph: Adam Hunger\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.32 EDT<\/p>\n First set: Sabalenka 1-0 Rybakina* (*denotes next server)<\/p>\n Ready? Let\u2019s play. Sabalenka puts down the hammer right from the off with an unreturned serve. 15-0. The second point is longer \u2026 and Rybakina rams a backhand down the line \u2026 which Sabalenka can only frame into the stands! Two points in and we\u2019ve already seen the firepower on show, between the two biggest hitters in the women\u2019s game. Another unreturned serve moves Sabelenka to 30-15 \u2026 and another backhand winner \u2013 this one cross-court \u2013 gets Rybakina back on level terms once more! But from there Sabalenka holds, finishing the game with a cute drop shot, just to remind us that she does boast a bit more variety than Rybakina. A high-quality start.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tik, tok, tik, tok, the players warming up, so we\u2019ve got time for some style notes. Sabalenka is once again wearing her basketball-inspired orange mesh dress, which is accessorised by several hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bling \u2013 $400,000 according to the online estimates. Rybakina is looking rather waspish in a yellow vest and black skirt. And Laura Robson is getting very excited in the stands because she\u2019s sitting close to Brad Pitt. \u201cI\u2019ve just lost my head,\u201d she admits, which doesn\u2019t bode well for her in-game analysis. And there\u2019s talk too that Cristiano Ronaldo may be sitting in Sabalenka\u2019s box today.<\/p>\n Actor Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.37 EDT<\/p>\n And the first mini victory goes to Sabalenka: she wins the toss and, without hesitation, opts to serve first.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And here the players come, Rybakina ahead of Sabalenka (the Kazakhstani will be hoping that trend continues), though Sabalenka, headphones on, absolutely strides on to court. It looks as if she\u2019s ready to prove a point against the player who\u2019s taken her world No 1 ranking.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.11 EDT<\/p>\n So who wins? To be honest, I\u2019d rather sit on a very rusty fence than call this one. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 10-7 and has won their past two meetings, in Indian Wells and Miami this spring when she claimed both titles, but Rybakina got the better of Sabalenka in January\u2019s Australian Open final and at last year\u2019s season-ending WTA Finals, which were bigger stages. Sabalenka has perhaps played at a higher level than Rybakina this tournament, her groundstrokes pack a slightly bigger punch (no one in the draw has hit more winners than her this fortnight) and she has more variety to her game – but Rybakina has the edge on serve, which is the best in the business. If Rybakina can serve like she did against Osaka in the last 16, Sabalenka could get frustrated \u2013 and if her frustrations boil over, that\u2019s where Sabalenka may start thinking about all those losses this summer and Rybakina can take advantage. I honestly think this is 50-50. And do remember you can get in touch with your thoughts here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n If Sabalenka achieves the three-peat today, she\u2019ll become only the third woman in the open era to win the US Open singles title three years in a row and the first since Serena Williams in 2012-14. And this is just the second time since 1988 – when the Australian Open became a hard-court event – that the same two women have met in the Australian Open and US Open finals in the same year. Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario were the first pair in 1994.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The opening ceremony is getting under way, so the crowd are listening to a rendition of America the Beautiful by Ariana DeBose. the players will be on court in about five minutes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n There\u2019s a great montage on Sky Sports right now, with footage of Sabalenka and Rybakina\u2019s previous matches, and Martina Navratilova doing the voiceover. \u201cGreat rivalries are never decided once,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re built in the reply. One lands a blow .. the other answers. Again. And Again. Until there is nowhere left to hide. That\u2019s when two rivals start to define each other and history starts to matter.\u201d And Martina should know, having been part of the greatest ever rivalry in women\u2019s tennis, alongside Chris Evert, over 80 matches between 1973 and 1988.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And some interesting quotes from Sabalenka\u2019s coach Anton Dubrov about her losing the world No 1 ranking:<\/p>\n double quotation markI actually like it happened. It\u2019s ended and it\u2019s extra fuel. There is no more extra draining [of mental energy] or thinking about it. There\u2019s a next chapter right now. You have to chase again. It\u2019s extra motivation for you. Just go and get it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rybakina says:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe played many times. We practised also before. She\u2019s a very aggressive player. It\u2019s difficult to play with her, mentally, physically, because she has big game, big serve. I will need to come with all the energy I have, bring my best serve against Aryna and, yeah, make the right decisions in the right moment, because most of the times it\u2019s tight, tight score. This is where the decision makes a difference.<\/p>\n We push each other when we play these matches, and you clearly can see what you need to work on more. I think that\u2019s great that you play against someone who pushes you till the limits.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sabalenka says:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s going to be really tough match. She\u2019s a big server. She really improved over the years on the baseline game, so it\u2019s going to be physically and mentally tough. I\u2019m ready for the fight. I\u2019m ready to do everything to get the win.<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t really performing well in the middle part of the season, so it kind of like feels for me, talking about grand slams, a last push of the season. I wanted it badly, to go to the final, and of course I want to go all the way. The mentality is just: \u2018I\u2019m ready.\u2019 I\u2019m ready for whatever it\u2019s going to take to get the win.<\/p>\n The last couple of months really teach me how to shut down the noise from outside. I think that\u2019s what\u2019s the meaning behind all of those tough lessons to finally learn how to stay focused on myself and forget about the outside noise.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n With just under 20 minutes to go until the players walk out, Sabalenka is currently backstage, warming up with a giant resistance band, which is feeling the full force of the two-time defending champion. She\u2019s already got her game face on. It\u2019s a beautiful day in New York, about 26C\/79F, with no risk of rain, so the roof is off and the stands are filling up, though all the influencers are probably still too busy eating their $100 caviar-topped chicken nuggets to have taken to their seats.<\/p>\n Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Aryna Sabalenka pose for a photo before their Women’s Singles Final match. Photograph: Sarah Stier\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.32 EDT<\/p>\n Rybakina<\/p>\n First round def Thea Frodin (WC) 6-3, 6-2 Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sabalenka<\/p>\n First round def Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4 Share<\/a><\/p>\n Road to the final. Despite all the questions over Sabalenka\u2019s form and frame of mind coming into this tournament, and her tense exchanges with reporters in the early rounds<\/a>, she\u2019s reached her fourth consecutive US Open final for the loss of only one set – which came in a high-quality quarter-final against the Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. Sabalenka saw off Noskova in a super tie-break, before playing her best match in months against Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals. Rybakina, meanwhile, didn\u2019t drop a set until the quarter-finals (she was flawless against Naomi Osaka in the last 16) – then came from a set down against Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff, dealing so well with having nearly 24,000 fans against her when playing Gauff. So she\u2019s battle ready.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Tale of the tape<\/p>\n Sabalenka \u2013 Rybakina Share<\/a> Meanwhile here\u2019s Tumaini\u2019s excellent preview of the women\u2019s final:<\/p>\n A typically understated Elena Rybakina stepped up to the microphone for her speech after her triumph at Indian Wells in 2023, her long-awaited first WTA 1000 title, and one of her first objectives was to recognise the efforts of her opponent. Rybakina congratulated Aryna Sabalenka<\/a> on a strong fortnight and noted that it was the first time she had beaten the Belarusian. Sabalenka\u2019s mouth instantly curled into a mischievous grin and, as ever, she could not halt her impulsive thoughts: \u201cI will make sure it is the last time,\u201d Sabalenka said, laughing. Rybakina, herself also smiling, responded instantly: \u201cNo. No, no, no. We\u2019ll see next time.\u201d<\/p>\n There has since been a next time, another next time and several next times after that and as Sabalenka and Rybakina, the top two players in the world, face off at the US Open, this latest encounter proves beyond doubt they have established themselves as one of the best recent rivalries in women\u2019s tennis.<\/p>\n The statistics alone are impressive. It was only in 1988 that the Australian Open shifted to hard courts. Since then, this is just the second time that the same two female players have met in the final of the Australian Open and US Open, the two hard-court grand slams. Like Steffi Graf and Arantxa S\u00e1nchez Vicario in 1994, the only other players to do so, these two finals were also preceded by a meeting at the WTA Finals at the end of the previous year.<\/p>\n In the buildup to this final, the dominant storyline in the women\u2019s tour was the second seed Rybakina\u2019s pursuit of Sabalenka\u2019s No 1 ranking, which she sealed<\/a> by defeating the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen to reach the semi-finals here for the first time. This is just the third time in the 21st century that a grand slam final will be decided between two players who will switch places at the No 1 spot after the tournament. On both previous occasions, Caroline Wozniacki\u2019s win over Simona Halep at the 2018 Australian Open and Serena Williams\u2019s triumph over her sister, Venus, at Wimbledon in 2002, the match was won by the incoming No 1.<\/p>\n It seemed for a while that the rivalry between Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek was destined to define this era. They were, and still are, the two most successful players of this current generation and they have played some classic matches against each other. Somehow, fortune has conspired against them. Despite twice being one point away from doing so \u2013 Sabalenka held match point against Karolina Muchova in their 2023 French Open semi-final and Swiatek the same against Madison Keys in the 2025 Australian Open semi-final \u2013 they have still never contested a grand slam final.<\/p>\n You can read the rest here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.28 EDT<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And Britain\u2019s Alfie Hewett has won his fifth wheelchair singles title in New York, beating his great rival and top seed Tokito Oda 6-0, 7-6 (5), to end a run of four successive losses to Oda in grand slam finals and stop the Japanese player from completing a calendar slam. Hewett said afterwards that he had been desperate to prove something to himself having won only two games against Oda in the Wimbledon final two months ago.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Already today in the men\u2019s doubles: the British-American duo of Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison have done what Rybakina hopes to do later, adding the US Open title to the Australian Open crown they won in January, to claim a grand slam hard-court double. They defeated Germany\u2019s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 7-6 (6) after saving a set point in the second-set tie-break. It\u2019s a case of third time lucky for Skupski after he was a beaten finalist in New York in 2022 and last year with different partners.<\/p>\n Britain’s Neal Skupski and USA’s Christian Harrison react in celebration after defeating Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz during the men’s doubles final match. Photograph: Leonardo Mu\u00f1oz\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.17 EDT<\/p>\n Preamble<\/p>\n After an A+++ women\u2019s tournament, in which we\u2019ve seen so many must-watch matches (take your pick between this<\/a>, this<\/a>, this<\/a>, this<\/a> or this<\/a>), captivating comebacks (much respect to Zheng Qinwen<\/a>) and the top seeds eventually asserting their authority, it seems fitting that it all ends here: Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina, the world No 1 for the past 99 weeks v the player who will replace her at the top of the rankings on Monday.<\/p>\n When these two are at their best no one else on tour can live with them \u2013 well, apart from peak Iga Swiatek \u2013 though it\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve seen that version of the Pole at the grand slams. But, up until this tournament, it had been a while since we\u2019d seen the best version of Sabalenka too. Having not claimed a slam title this year or reached a final since she won Miami in March, amid a series of defeats to much lower-ranked players during the summer, the two-time defending US Open champion has rediscovered her form this fortnight, gaining momentum and equilibrium as the rounds have gone by. She looks intent on salvaging her slam season In New York \u2013 as she did last year too \u2013 and losing her No 1 ranking will no doubt make her even more determined to prove a point today, while Rybakina will be full of confidence and feeling on top of the world, quite literally, after scaling the summit for the first time in her career.<\/p>\n They haven\u2019t entered Navratilova v Evert territory yet (the recent documentary<\/a> about the 80 matches (!) those two played and their friendship off the court is brilliant, btw), but Sabalenka v Rybakina is turning into quite a rivalry. This will be the fourth time they\u2019ve contested a final in the past 10 months \u2013 Rybakina prevailed at last year\u2019s season-ending WTA Finals and this year\u2019s Australian Open, before Sabalenka triumphed in Indian Wells \u2013 and their third grand slam final overall, with the pair holding one win apiece. Both of those were closely contested three-setters, so there are high hopes of this turning into a trilogy of classics today.<\/p>\n Despite the variation Sabalenka has added to her game in recent years, this is power v power, arguably the best groundstrokes in women\u2019s tennis v the best serve, an arm wrestle for first-strike supremacy between two players so similar in style but different in personality, with the contrast between Sabalenka\u2019s volatility and Rybakina\u2019s composure adding even more appeal to this potentially era-defining rivalry.<\/p>\n The players will be on court: at about 4pm New York time\/9pm BST. So get settled in with some Honey Deuces<\/a> and do get in touch with any thoughts or predictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Second round def Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2, 6-4
Third round def Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-6 (6), 6-3
Fourth round def Naomi Osaka (13) 6-1, 6-4
Quarter-final def Zheng Qinwen (Q) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Semi-final def Coco Gauff (4) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4<\/p>\n
Second round def Polina Iatcenko (Q) 6-1, 6-1
Third round def Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4
Fourth round def Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-3
Quarter-final def Linda Noskova (6) 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (7)
Semi-final def Jessica Pegula (3) 7-5, 6-2<\/p>\n
28 Age 27
1 Seeding 2
1 World ranking 2 (though not for much longer\u2026)
4 Grand slam titles 2
9 Grand slam finals (including today) 4
24 Singles titles 13
10 Head-to-head 7<\/p>\n![\"Tumaini](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789253171_432_Tumaini_Carayol_v2.png\")
Tumaini Carayol<\/p>\n