World No. 2 Elena Rybakina dismantled defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, to capture her first US Open title.
In a tightly contested three-set battle, the world No. 2 displayed her grit after dropping the second set, rallying to secure the championship and dethrone Sabalenka, a fan-favorite in the Big Apple.
Despite playing before a pro-Sabalenka crowd, the 27-year-old Rybakina blasted 30 winners and 10 aces over nearly two and a half hours. She won an impressive 85% of her first-serve points, thwarting the booming baseliner, and converted three of 12 break points.
“She served incredible, she played really aggressive, she played really great tennis and she was simply a better player than me,” Sabalenka said of Rybakina after the match.
Rybakina’s composure carried her to victory on Saturday. Early in the first set, Sabalenka fired a ball into the crowd after she double faulted, earning her a warning from the chair umpire. Sabalenka’s frustration was on full display on her favored stage, while Rybakina seemed unflappable until match point.
Rybakina blew the first match point with a double fault. But she quickly rebounded and, on her second match point, fired an ace down the T to clinch the title.
Rybakina’s win on Saturday marks the first time that she was able to advance beyond the fourth round in New York.
“I honestly was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful,” Rybakina said after the match.
“Honestly, [I] didn’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament. I’ve been dealing a little bit with the injury, but somehow everything aligned together on my side.”
Rybakina captured her second hard-court major title of the year after also winning the Australian Open in January, where she defeated Sabalenka. After lifting the silver Tiffany trophy on Saturday, Rybakina will have another lift next week: she’ll claim the world No. 1 rank after her successful run in Flushing Meadows, snapping Sabalenka’s 99 consecutive weeks in the top spot.
