World No. 2 Elena Rybakina, who will officially become No. 1 on Monday, defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (1) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the 2026 US Open women's final. The news was reported by infohub.kz.

The women's tournament at the US Open reached its logical conclusion: Sabalenka versus Rybakina. The marquee matchup of the year's first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open was repeated at the season's last major. The outcome was the same, too.

Of their 18 head-to-head meetings, Rybakina and Sabalenka have contested seven finals. From the start of today's match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Elena looked more convincing, especially on return. Aryna struggled to find an answer to Rybakina's left-handed backhand. Time and again the Kazakh player flummoxed the Belarusian with that cross-court shot, neutralizing her powerful serve. Rybakina's own serve, if not unreturnable, made it as difficult as possible for her opponent.

After breaking in the fifth game, the Kazakh player gave her opponent no chance to respond. Rybakina converted her second set point to take the set 6-4 in 44 minutes — the same score, notably, as the first set in Melbourne.

In the second set, the two leaders of world tennis continued to display top-class attacking play with chances for both. Breaks were a long time coming, though both had break points. At the key moment in the tenth game, Rybakina saved two set points to make it 5-5. Then she lost two straight games. On her third set point, Sabalenka took the set 7-5 in 56 minutes.

The script of the 2026 Australian Open final was repeating itself: 1-1, and a deciding set that continued the gripping contest. At the key moment of the third set, the Kazakh player broke her opponent's serve and consolidated the break for 3-1. In the seventh game, she broke again, sealing the outcome.

6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in 2 hours 21 minutes. Aces: 12-6. Double faults: 5-3. Total points won: 103-90. A brilliant victory for the new world No. 1, who has won the US Open for the first time. The coronation of tennis's new queen, previously a champion at Wimbledon 2022 and the 2026 Australian Open, is complete!

At the 2026 US Open, all champions in the main draws have been decided except the men's. New York's new king will be determined tomorrow night, in the match between Germany's Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton of the United States.

The US Open is an annual hard-court Grand Slam tournament. The last of the four majors in the calendar year. The total prize fund is $108 million — a record for the majors.