Rybakina wins the US Open and takes her place at the top

One championship point slipped away with a double fault. Elena Rybakina’s next serve was an ace. After all the pressure of a Grand Slam final, that was a beautifully direct way to finish the job.

Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win her first US Open title on Saturday evening in New York, early Sunday in India. The official tournament report confirms the result and the final-point ace, which ended Sabalenka’s attempt to win the tournament for a third straight year.

A comeback met by another response

Rybakina took the opening set, but Sabalenka fought her way back to win the second. That left the title resting on one deciding set. Rybakina broke early in the third and built the advantage she needed to serve out the match.

For anyone new to tennis, a break means winning a game when the opponent is serving. It can change the balance of a set because the server normally has an advantage. Rybakina’s early break in the decider gave her something concrete to protect.

The finish also captured a useful sporting truth: one mistake does not have to become the next mistake. Missing a championship point could have made the moment feel much bigger. Her next serve settled it instead.

The trophy is part of a bigger season

Reuters reported that this was Rybakina’s third Grand Slam title, adding New York to Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year. She also beat Sabalenka in that Australian Open final.

Reuters noted that the result ended Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the US Open. Winning a tournament twice in a row puts a player in an unusual position: everyone knows how difficult she is to beat there, and the next challenger has to prove it can be done.

Rybakina’s run also secured the world No. 1 ranking. AP explained that she had already guaranteed she would replace Sabalenka when the rankings updated on Monday. The final added the trophy to that achievement rather than being the sole reason she reached the top.

For Sabalenka, reaching another final still showed how consistently she can compete at this level. For Rybakina, beating the defending champion gave an already important fortnight its strongest possible ending.

The numbers tell the story clearly: three sets in the final, three major titles in her career and the top ranking secured. New York gave Rybakina several reasons to remember this tournament, all at once.