Rybakina Denies Sabalenka Three-Peat to Win First US Open Title

Elena Rybakina has won her first US Open title, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium to cap a week in which she also took over as the world's top-ranked player.

The Kazakh had confirmed her rise to No. 1 by reaching the semi-finals, ending Sabalenka's reign at the top before the pair met for the trophy.

Three Sets, Three Shifts

Rybakina took the opening set 6-3 despite landing only 27 per cent of her first serves, an unusual way to build a lead against an opponent who thrives on second-serve returns.

Sabalenka responded in the second and looked the more controlled player for long stretches. She moved 5-4 ahead and had two opportunities to serve out the set, but Rybakina drew level at 5-5 on both occasions. The Belarusian eventually took it 7-5 to force a decider.

The third set turned quickly. Rybakina broke twice to lead 5-2, leaving Sabalenka visibly frustrated, and served an ace on match point to seal it.

The defeat denies Sabalenka a third consecutive US Open title, which would have made her only the third woman to achieve it at Flushing Meadows after Chris Evert and Serena Williams. She had reached a sixth straight semi-final at the tournament and had never lost a quarter-final there.

The Ranking Race

Rybakina had arrived in New York needing only to reach the last four to move above Sabalenka. Had she gone out earlier, Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula or Coco Gauff could each have finished the fortnight at No. 1 by winning the title.

Sabalenka had been open about her priorities when asked during the tournament whether she would accept losing the ranking in exchange for a three-peat. She said she would be more than happy with that trade and did not mind, adding that a three-peat sounded great.

She ends the year without a major, a return modest by her recent standards, which is what allowed Rybakina to close the gap across the season.

Rybakina, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, had beaten a reigning world No. 1 on nine separate occasions before becoming one herself. She also beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January, though Sabalenka had won their most recent hard-court meeting in Miami in straight sets.

The Route to the Final

Rybakina reached the final without dropping a set after the fourth round, beating Naomi Osaka 6-1, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals and then ending the run of qualifier Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Zheng had produced two of the tournament's most memorable comebacks, recovering from 5-0 down in the deciding set against Madison Keys before doing the same in the opening set against Iga Swiatek.

Sabalenka came through a demanding draw, surviving a three-set quarter-final against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova that went to two tie-breaks, before beating Pegula in the semi-finals.

The women's semi-finals had featured all four top seeds for the first time since 1975.