A Final That Swung in Every Direction
The 2026 US Open women's final had everything a tennis fan could want: momentum swings, brilliant hitting, and high-stakes drama. Elena Rybakina opened the match with commanding authority, breaking down Aryna Sabalenka's game to take the first set 6-4. Sabalenka, never one to surrender quietly, clawed her way back into the contest and leveled the match by winning the second set 7-5. However, Rybakina quickly reasserted control in the decider, closing it out 6-2 despite serving two double faults in the final game before sealing victory with a thunderous ace. The win handed Rybakina her third Grand Slam title overall, following her 2022 Wimbledon championship and completing a remarkable double over Sabalenka after their Australian Open final meeting earlier in the same year.
Rankings Reshuffled, Fortunes Transformed
The consequences of the defeat hit Sabalenka hard beyond the scoreline. Rybakina ascended to world No. 1 on Monday following the victory, displacing Sabalenka from a position she had worked tirelessly to hold. With Jessica Pegula sitting just 610 points behind Sabalenka in the rankings, and Coco Gauff only 21 points further back, Sabalenka's standing on tour faces continued pressure in the closing weeks of the season. Still, the financial rewards softened the blow somewhat. Sabalenka collected a runners-up prize of 2.8 million dollars, a sum that actually exceeds what Emma Raducanu earned when she lifted the US Open trophy in 2021. Rybakina, meanwhile, walked away with a record-breaking 5.5 million dollars, the largest prize ever awarded to a women's singles champion. TennisDraw users who backed Rybakina for the title were rewarded handsomely in their bracket predictions.
