Open final on Saturday, earning a third Grand Slam crown to accompany her ascent to world number one. Elena Rybakina delivered a devastating performance to dethrone two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka with a 6-4 5-7 6-2 win in the U.S.
The Russian-born Kazakh’s icy composure on the grand stage helped her snap Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and denied the Belarusian the chance to emulate Serena Williams and Chris Evert with three straight New York titles. An ankle injury had threatened to derail Rybakina’s campaign even before the tournament started, but the 27-year-old shrugged off those concerns to add the U.S. Open title to her Australian Open triumph this year and Wimbledon success in 2022.
“It’s tough to find words right now. “I’ve been dealing a bit with an injury. Somehow everything aligned together on my side. Aryna … it’s so difficult to play against you. You push me to the limit. Dressed in a yellow-and-black outfit that evoked a bee, Rybakina produced some stinging groundstrokes but was unable to make the early pressure count as Sabalenka unleashed big serves to hold firm in the pair’s third Grand Slam final meeting. Sabalenka let out a huge roar after another backhand winner to hold in a tight opening game of the third set. The typically mild-mannered Rybakina’s celebration had little more pizzazz than one might expect from a routine match victory, and she calmly packed her belongings at her bench as Sabalenka sat with her demolished racket.
I didn’t expect anything like this coming to the tournament,” said a beaming Rybakina, who became only the third woman this century to win both hardcourt major trophies in the same year after Sabalenka and Angelique Kerber.
