First, Elena Rybakina took Aryna Sabalenka\u2019s ranking.<\/p>\n
Now, she took her crown.<\/p>\n
Rybakina\u2019s quarterfinal win had already ensured she would supplant Sabalenka as the World No. 1 when the rankings are released on Monday. <\/p>\n
Elena Rybakina hits a return to Aryna Sabalenka during the women\u2019s final match at the U.S. Open Tennis Championship in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST<\/p>\n
But it was her 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory in Saturday\u2019s final that snatched away Sabalenka\u2019s crown.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka had held the top ranking for 99 straight weeks, since October 2024. She\u2019d held the U.S. Open title for even longer, going for a three-peat in Flushing Meadows. <\/p>\n
The big Belarusian had reeled off 20 straight matches at the U.S. Open since a 2023 finals loss to American star Coco Gauff. But that ended Saturday.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka reacts as she plays against Elena Rybakina in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the finals of the 2026 U.S. Open at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. Jason Szenes for New York Post<\/p>\n
Rybakina knocked off Gauff in Thursday\u2019s semifinal and followed that up by ending Sabalenka\u2019s reign. After opening the Major season by beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open final, she ended it by besting her again in Flushing.<\/p>\n
It made her the only woman with multiple Grand Slam titles since the start of last year. And the poker-faced Kazakhstani did it with an ironclad service game and steely nerves.<\/p>\n
Elena Rybakina celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the finals of the 2026 US Open on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Jason Szenes for New York Post<\/p>\n
The volatile Sebalinka, by contrast, has a habit of letting her nerves get the better of her. She was fighting not just Rybakina, but herself on Saturday. <\/p>\n
That proved one foe too many.<\/p>\n
These two have a long history, with 17 meetings. Fourteen had gone to whoever took the first set. And while all three of the comebacks had been by Sabalenka \u2014 including the Indian Wells final \u2014 Rybakina left her no chance.<\/p>\n
Rybakina won 14 of 15 service games, 85 percent of her points on first serves and hit a dozen aces \u2013 including match points.<\/p>\n
And the Moscow-born star got her championship trophy from Russian-born star Maria Sharapova.<\/p>\n
Rybakina broke to go up 3-2. After hitting a cross court backhand on 30-all to get advantage, Sabalenka double faulted on break point. The frustrated Belarusian, who frequently struggles to maintain composure, blasted a ball into the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands to get hit with a code violation.<\/p>\n
Elena Rybakina celebrates and holds up her trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka to become the women\u2019s champion of the 2026 US Open on Saturday, September 12, 2026, in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Jason Szenes for New York Post<\/p>\n
Somehow, Rybakina takes the first set, a host of Sabalenka\u2019s groundball gaffes helping her overcome winning just 27 percent on her first serve.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka \u2014 who had bad body language throughout the first set \u2014 left the court for a bathroom break before the second. When she came back, she raised her game.<\/p>\n
The Belarusian led 5-4, and her first break point was a double set point, up 15-40.<\/p>\n
With the crowd on its feet, Rybakina battled back and won the next three straight points to snatch advantage. Then she came up with a clutch hold to knot it at 5-all.<\/p>\n
After a fiery conversation with her box during the final game, Sabalenka comes through. She went after Rybakina\u2019s serve with awesome shot-making \u2014 a backhand passing shot, then a slick drop shot \u2014 to get her first break of the match. She took the second set to even the match.<\/p>\n
But the stoic Rybakina quickly relaxed and settled into the third.<\/p>\n
Aryna Sabalenka reacts as she plays against Elena Rybakina during the finals of the US Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Jason Szenes for New York Post<\/p>\n
After Sabalenka gets down break point, she somehow avoided a warning for slamming and cracking her racquet. But she couldn\u2019t avoid getting broken.<\/p>\n
Rybakina went on to serve up 2-1, and held to consolidate.<\/p>\n
And with a break point up 4-2, Rybakina came up to the net for only the second time in the set for a forehand winner.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka broke yet another racquet in anger \u2014 no warning \u2014 and Rybakina went on to serve for the match. She won it with an ace, Sabalenka tossing her racquet in frustration and fury.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First, Elena Rybakina took Aryna Sabalenka\u2019s ranking. Now, she took her crown. Rybakina\u2019s quarterfinal win had already ensured…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[36472,9,11,10,319,15547,24822],"class_list":["post-345303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-aryna-sabalenka","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-us-open-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}