Elena Rybakina’s three-set victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s US Open final brought a new name to the top of the PIF WTA Rankings — and a trophy to go with it.

Rybakina had already secured the No. 1 ranking she will assume Monday. Her 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win over the two-time defending champion ended Sabalenka’s 19-match US Open streak and gave Rybakina her first title in New York.

It also made for a fitting trophy presentation. Maria Sharapova, in town to mark the 20th anniversary of her own US Open victory in 2006, handed Rybakina the championship trophy.

Congratulations, Elena Rybakina, on your first U.S. Open title! And cheers to @SabalenkaA on a terrific and hard-fought match.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 12, 2026

Rybakina meets Sharapova for first time

The usually-stoic Rybakina said that it was the first time she’d ever spoken to the former World No. 1 and International Tennis Hall of Famer, and that the interaction had much more substance then when they first crossed paths early in her professional career.

“I saw her really close in the locker room, she was about to go on her match,” she said. “I don’t know, I felt like so much energy coming from her, and she’s just someone that I was watching on TV when she used to play, of course, winning big titles and it was a special moment to talk with her.

“I lost my thought, but if it’s about Maria, that was just something I never thought might happen to have a conversation like this. She was very nice also.”

In her own social media post from the day, Sharapova joked that the outing was “much more relaxing than 20 years ago” — where she beat Justine Henin in her own three-set final.

The numbers behind Rybakina’s US Open title
On Saturday, the serve carried her

Rybakina landed just 47% of her first serves, but won 85% of those points. She finished with 12 aces, 36 winners and 24 unforced errors — a far cleaner ledger than the two-time defending champion could manage.

The win also ended Sabalenka’s 19-match streak at the US Open.

A rivalry increasingly tilted toward Rybakina

This was Rybakina’s eighth win in 18 career meetings with Sabalenka. In finals, the balance has shifted even more clearly: Rybakina has now won five of their seven title matches.

She also became just the second player since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to defeat the World No. 1 in multiple Grand Slam finals in the same season. Steffi Graf did it in 1995.

It’s a run that is deserving of praise that came from WTA Legend Chris Evert, who said Rybkina is “coming into her own now.”

Loved listening to Elena Rybakina on the ESPN desk with Caroline and Malika… She seemed so happy and over the moon, much more emotion and joy that we’ve seen from her in her past wins… she really seems to be coming into her own now. Congratulations to both Elena and Aryna on a…

— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) September 12, 2026

A third major — and a rare hard-court double

The title is Rybakina’s third major, after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year. Since the start of 2020, only Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina have won at least three Grand Slam singles titles.

She also became the sixth player since 1988 to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same season, joining Graf, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Angelique Kerber and Sabalenka.

A New York run that altered the record book

Rybakina is the first player to beat the defending US Open champion in the final since Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams in 2002.

She beat three former US Open champions over the fortnight — Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff and Sabalenka — becoming only the third player in the Open Era to do that at one US Open, after Serena Williams in 1999 and Justine Henin in 2007.

Rybakina also remains unbeaten at the US Open after taking the opening set. She is now 13-0 in those matches, though Saturday marked the first time she needed a deciding set to finish the job.

Quote of the Day

Prior to her title run this year, Rybakina had never been past the Round of 16 in New York. But the Big Apple has always been special, she says.

How has your love of New York grown from that moment after winning Wimbledon and being on the outer courts to obviously now?

Rybakina: Yeah, well, I came here first time 10 years ago as a junior, and for me it was already such an amazing place, and it was so loud, so different from other places.

Honestly, after winning Wimbledon, a lot of things was happening that year also. I feel like, especially here, no matter which court you play, it’s always full. It’s always amazing atmosphere.

For some reason, New York wasn’t my best place for tennis for the past years, but definitely now it changed, and I hope that next time when I come, it’s going to begin until the very end.