Rybakina defeats Sabalenka to claim US Open women's singles title

Elena Rybakina captured the US Open women’s singles crown on Sunday, beating top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final at Flushing Meadows. The victory also moved Rybakina to the world No. 1 ranking, ending Sabalenka’s two-year reign at the top.

Rybakina, who entered the tournament after a brief Achilles injury layoff, overcame a shaky start in which she hit just 27% of first serves in the opening set. She recovered by applying pressure with her return game and baseline play, taking the first set before Sabalenka rallied to force a second set decider, which the Belarusian won.

In the third set, Rybakina improved her serving, delivering a series of aces and holding serve to pull away and close out the match. Sabalenka received a code-violation warning for a ball that struck a spectator, and appeared unsettled during key moments.

The win gives Rybakina the Australian Open, US Open and WTA Finals titles on hard courts, joining a select group of players who have held all three major hard-court championships simultaneously. She now stands one French Open title away from a career Grand Slam.

"I’m very happy with the result and the way I played today," Rybakina said in the post-match interview.

Sabalenka, a two-time defending US Open champion, will look to regroup ahead of the upcoming season.