US Open: Sabalenka faces Rybakina again in the final, a high-level clash.

Published on: 09/11/2026 - 03:28Updated on: 09/11/2026 - 06:13

4 min Reading time

Although Sabalenka is about to lose her position as world No. 1 at the end of this Grand Slam, she is determined to defend her title, aiming for an incredible triple crown, a feat not seen in New York since Serena Williams went undefeated from 2012 to 2014.

To do this, she will need to win a match with a taste of revenge: the 28-year-old Belarusian lost to Rybakina, a Kazakhstan-born player of Russian descent, earlier this year in the Australian Open final.

However, Sabalenka has won their last two encounters in March during the American swing, in the final at Indian Wells and in the semifinals at Miami (WTA 1000).

The final promises to be intense, with Rybakina being described as a “fearsome server” by Sabalenka, while the Kazakhstani admits to fearing the defending champion, calling her “an incredible player” against whom one must be “very aggressive.”

Sabalenka impressed with her power on Thursday, decisively eliminating American Jessica Pegula (3rd) in the semifinals, just like last year and in the final of the 2024 edition.

Hailing from Minsk, she won 7-5, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Court, in front of a star-studded audience that included former First Lady Michelle Obama, ex-Brazilian footballer Ronaldo, and Spanish singer Rosalia.

Untouchable

There were very few rallies in this match of powerful hitters, with high-quality serving. Clearly tense, the Belarusian often expressed her frustration with exclamations after key points.

She intensified the pressure at the end of the set, on the American's serve. Her blistering backhand hit the baseline, and Pegula, caught off guard, managed to return it poorly, but her shot ended up in the net.

The four-time Grand Slam champion appeared untouchable in this match, saving the only break point she conceded, sometimes with a bit of luck, like that difficult running backhand to return at 4-2 in the second set. Flustered, Pegula dropped her racket to the ground.

“This season, especially at the beginning, I played many incredible matches at a very high level, but today I really performed well, and I felt that whatever decision I made, it was the right one ,” Sabalenka rejoiced.

In a final four featuring the top four seeds, a phenomenon not seen since 1975 at the US Open with Chris Evert (1st), Virginia Wade (2nd), Martina Navratilova (3rd), and Evonne Goolagong (4th), Rybakina triumphed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Coco Gauff (3rd), although she took some time to get into the match.

Rybakina “nervous”

The 2023 champion in New York, Gauff initially took control of the match, bringing intensity to the rallies against a somewhat unsettled Rybakina, illustrated by a completely missed forehand that allowed her opponent to lead 4-2.

“I was nervous. It was always tricky playing against Coco. But I finally took a deep breath, trying to tell myself positive things ,” Rybakina shared after the match.

The future world No. 1 regained her composure in the second set, breaking after a series of unforced errors from Gauff.

Tension rose in the third set, but it was Rybakina who regained the upper hand by breaking, thanks to another series of unforced errors from Gauff on her forehand (15 in the match), to lead 5-3.

With her back against the wall, the American took all the risks when Rybakina served for the match and managed to break back immediately after the 25th unforced error from the Kazakhstani on her backhand, to the applause of the crowd.

A brief respite as Rybakina found her effectiveness again and created two match points with a net approach, before closing out the match in 2 hours and 8 minutes after a missed smash from Gauff.