The Belarusian seeks her third New York crown, while the Kazakh is ready to become the new world No. 1.
On Saturday, the U.S. Open final will be the stage for a showdown between Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who is relinquishing the throne after 99 weeks and is seeking her third title in New York, and Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the new queen of tennis.
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Sabalenka and Rybakina have faced each other 17 times, with the Belarusian holding a 10-7 advantage. Six of those matches were finals, with the Kazakh winning four of them and Sabalenka winning two.
Sabalenka won the 2023 Australian Open and Indian Wells 2026, while Rybakina won Indian Wells 2023, Brisbane 2024, the 2025 Women’s Tennis Association Finals and the 2026 Australian Open.
“We have played many times and also practiced together. She is a very aggressive player. It is difficult to play against her, both mentally and physically, because she has a very powerful game and a great serve,” Rybakina said after reaching the final.
The 2026 final had been taking shape since the battle for the No. 1 ranking opened at the U.S. Open and took definitive form Thursday, when Sabalenka overwhelmed Jessica Pegula (No. 3) 7-5, 6-2 and Rybakina rallied to defeat Coco Gauff (No. 4) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, ending New York’s hopes for an all-American final.
Elena Rybakina books her ticket into her first US Open final! pic.twitter.com/HBDTVBi16U
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 11, 2026
Whatever happens in the final, even if Sabalenka wins in New York for the third time, the change at the top of the rankings is already a fact: Rybakina will be the new No. 1. But the Belarusian can still spoil her celebration.
“It is going to be a really tough match. Elena has a great serve and she has improved her baseline game a lot over the years, so it is going to be a tough match both physically and mentally,” said Sabalenka, who is seeking to become the first woman to win three consecutive titles in New York since Serena Williams in 2012-14.
“But I am ready for the battle. I am ready to do everything I need to do to get the victory, so I am looking forward to the match,” she added.
For Sabalenka, it would be her fifth Grand Slam title after the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and the U.S. Open in 2024 and 2025, while for Rybakina it would be her third after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2026.
“I will have to come out with all the energy I have, show my best version with my serve against Aryna and make the right decisions at the important moments, because most of the time our matches are very close. And that is where one decision can make the difference,” the Kazakh explained.
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Source: EFE
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