My U.S. Open top 10

US Open 2026: Elena Rybakina claims her third Grand Slam title in New York

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— Le Monde in English (@english.lemonde.fr) September 12, 2026 at 8:26 PM

Here are my top 10 U.S. Open occurrences, in ascending order:

10. The third time was the charm: Sun Xinran, the top seed in the junior draw, felt a kind of pressure that a lot of teens don't feel--this was her third major final of the year, and she had lost the first two, at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. Her Wimbledon opponent, Anna Pushkareva, was again across the net from her during the U.S. Open final, but this time, Sun prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. 

In doubles, Australian Open champions and USA team Annika Penickova and Kristina Penickova defeated Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva 7-6 (11), 6-3 in the final. 

9. So close, yet so far: Two USA players, 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and Jessica Pegula, both veterans, undoubtedly had hopes about this U.S. Open, especially Pegula, who is number 3 in the world. Keys, however, said--after her third round loss to the resurgent Zheng Qinwen--that she just wasn't feeling it. “I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore...," she said. Keys is no stranger to inconsistency; however, her comments could explain the remarkable third set scoreline--Zheng was down 0-5, then won seven games in a row. 

As for Pegula, she made it all the way to the semifinals, defeating the likes of Leylah Fernandez, Sorana Cirstea and Emma Navarro on her way there. But she was stopped by a very in-form Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her in straight sets.

8. USA takes title from France: The Australian crowd has shown disdain toward WTA players, the Wimbledon administration has a history of being downright offensive to WTA players, and the Roland-Garros crowd has a history of being rude, period. But--with behavior getting worse by the year--the U.S. Open crowd now wins the prize for rude behavior. This year, groups of influencers (oh, how I hate to type that word) disrupted play over and over, with their total lack of regard for the players and the sport. 

At one point, a group of Tik Tock people posed for photos in the middle of a match. And in Naomi Osaka's first round match, influencers using a ring light stopped play. People frequently shouted between serves. The U.S. Open has always been loud--several players have complained about it over the years--but now it's out of control. Aryna Sabalenka complained to the umpire because the smell of marijuana wafted over the court while she was playing. As far as I'm concerned, after one warning, offenders should be escorted out of the stadium, but we know that that isn't going to happen.

7. A sweep and a comeback: Yui Kamiji won her fourth U.S. Open wheelchair singles title at this tournament, and she and partner Zhu Zhenzhen also won the doubles title. Kamiji's opponent in the singles final was her rival, Diede De Groot, who has won the event six times. This was the first time that Kamiji had ever beaten De Groot in New York. And--though she won only one major (Roland-Garros) this year--De Groot (known among fans as Diede the Great) is making a very nice comeback after hip surgery and rehab.

6. A bright-looking future: The third round match played between Iva Jovic and Alex Eala was a thing of beauty. The two young women, who are good friends, have every shot in the book, and their three-hour match couldn't have been more enjoyable. Jovic won, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, but both players made it clear that the WTA's future has some stars in the making.

5. She's.....back!: It wasn't that long ago that Zheng Qinwen was the Next Big Thing. In fact, she was already a pretty big thing, reaching the final at the 2024 Australian Open and winning an Olympic gold medal. But then she had elbow surgery, followed by post-surgical complications. Zheng has steadily worked her way back, and the result of all her hard work was on display at the U.S. Open. 

Zheng--who had to win three qualifying matches in order to enter the main draw--also provided some unusual thrills at the tournament, especially in the third round, when she was down 0-5 in the third set against Madison Keys. No problem. Zheng reeled off seven consecutive games and won the match. Then, in the next round against Iga Swaitek, she went down 0-5 in the first set; she won that set 7-5 and went on to defeat the 2022 champion.

4. A singular sensation: In the quarterfinals, 2nd seed Elena Rybakina ended Zheng Qinwen's great run, and in doing so, she became the number 1 player in the world, also ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week hold on that position. The drama would only increase as time went on.

3. Win everything: Top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the 2026 doubles title when they defeated wild cards Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the final. In doing so, they also achieved a Career Slam, having already won the 2025 Australian Open, 2026 Roland-Garros, and 2024 Wimbledon.

2. When you're hot, you're hot: When Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend achieved the Career Slam by winning the doubles title, that was impressive. What's even more impressive is that, for Siniakova, the result was the achievement of the very rare double Career Slam. The Czech star had already earned a Career Slam with former partner (it still makes me sad to type that) Barbora Krejcikova. They won the Australian Open three times, Roland-Garros twice, Wimbledon twice, and the U.S. Open once. (Siniakova also won Roland-Garros with Coco Gauff.) Siniakova is the first woman in the Open Era to achieve the double Career Slam.

1. You just became world number 1--how do you top that?: If you're Elena Rybakina, you play two more rounds and win the U.S. Open. After her quarterfinal defeat of Zheng Qinwen, the new number 1 went on to defeat 2023 U.S. Open champion Coco Guaff. But she saved the best for last when she faced the woman whose number 1 spot she had just taken over--two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. To make the occasion even more dramatic, Rybakina and Sabalenka were the top two seeds in the tournament.

And there was even more drama to this story: Rybakina had been dealing with a foot injury and wasn't even sure that she could compete in Flushing Meadows. She and her doctor, who is in Australia, had talked on the phone every day so that Rybakina could make a determination about playing, and she missed the first week of practice. As it turned out, the new world number 1 played superbly and cleverly in the final, winning the title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 defeat of Sabalenka, who was hoping to win three U.S. Open titles in a row.

On her way to winning the title, Rybakina defeated three former U.S. Open champions--Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and Sabalenka. The new world number 1, for all her reserve and "strictly business" attitude, nevertheless managed to pull off one of the flashiest major victories I've ever seen.

Why snatch one crown when you can snatch two? Elena Rybakina, new world number 1, is now the U.S. Open champion

Elena Rybakina came to the U.S. Open off of a bad foot injury, but it turned into one of the greatest Grand Slam title runs of all-time. She missed the entire first week of practice, but believed she could recover, focus, and play her way into this tournament… Think about how hard that is...

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 12, 2026 at 6:41 PM

When she won her quarterfinal match in Flushing Meadows, Elena Rybakina took over the number 1 spot that had been held by Aryna Sabalenka for 99 weeks. Then, for good measure, she beat two-time defending champion Sabalenka in today's final. This was, in my opinion, the cheekiest U.S. Open move since 2015, when Flavia Pennetta, about to retire from professional tennis, stopped by Flushing Meadows on her way out, and won the whole thing.

Rybakina's victory didn't surprise me at all, though I'm sure it surprised the panel at U.S. Open Radio, who--with the exception of Genie Bouchard--predicted that Sabalenka would win in three sets. Coming into the Open, Rybakina's only seriously doubtful factor was that she'd been dealing with a foot injury. Right up to the start of the tournament, in fact, she was constantly on the phone with her doctor in Australia, as she and her team assessed whether she'd be able to play in New York.

Sabalenka and Rybakina have a strong rivalry, and they were also the first and second seeds at the tournament, which added to the drama. The only thing that appeared "certain" (as far as tennis goes) is that the match would go to three sets. 

In the first set, Rybakina demonstrated an adaptability we hadn't seen from her before. The tall, quiet woman with the outstanding first serve had trouble, over and over, getting her first serve in. No problem--she began using her second serve as a weapon, and it worked. She won that set, 6-4. Rybakina's ability to get her first serve in improved in the second set, but so did Sabalenka's entire game. She cut down on the unforced errors and was able to use her own big hitting to make Rybakina less comfortable. The defending champion had to work hard, though, because--at 5-4--Rybakina served for the match. 

Not surprisingly, Sabalenka  put a stop to that, and eventually won the second set 7-5.  

Rybakina knew what to do: In the third set, she achieved a first serve win percentage of 100, and she hit fifteen winners, while making only six unforced errors, turning the set into the Rybakina Show. Serving at 2-4, Sabalenka was broken when Rybakina drove her to the far corner of the court, then delivered an expert volley. The new champion double-faulted on her first match point, but then hit an ace on her second one. 

Rybakina is now 8-10 against Sabalenka, but it's of interest that her last three victories against her have occurred in very big matches--the 2025 WTA Finals final, the 2026 Australian Open final, and today's final at the U.S. Open. 

The trophy ceremony delivered a nice touch when the champion received her trophy from Maria Sharapova, on the 20th anniversary of her U.S. Open victory.  Later, the commentators talked about the fact that the only major that Rybakina hasn't won is Roland-Garros, and that attaining that victory would be hard for her because she relies so much on big hitting. (I suppose that--now that they have a bond of sorts--Rybakina could consult with two-time Roland-Garros champion Sharapova about that.)

A well-known rivalry, and a not-so-well-known one

"Looking Toward the Avenue" by Jim Dines
photo by Diane Elayne Dees 

Every once in a while, there's a final that fans just know is going to be special, and a lot of people have that feeling about the upcoming match between two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka is a favorite, of sorts--she wants to get three in a row, and she wants to win a major this season. She's also playing extremely well. But so is Rybakina, though she's had some slow starts. For those who love big hitting (it's not my favorite, but I'll take it), this final represents hitting at about as big a level as it gets.

And though you won't hear about it from commentators, another significant final was played today: Yui Kamiji defeated long-time rival Diede De Groot 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 to win the women's wheelchair title. This is the first time that Kamiji has ever beaten De Groot in New York. The third set became tense--De Groot went down 0-3, then 2-4, and then she got the set to 3-all.  In the end, though, Kamiji out-served her opponent and took home her fourth U.S. Open title (De Groot has won the event six times). 

The good news for De Groot is that she's very close to being back to her pre-hip surgery form.

Kamiji, with partner Zhu Zhenzhen, also won the doubles title.

And of course, yesterday top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the doubles championship when they defeated wild cards Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the final. Their victory gives the champions a Career Slam, and it gives Siniakova a double Career Slam. She had already achieved a Career Slam with partner Barbora Krejcikova. 

In juniors, top seed Sun Xinran defeated Anna Pushkareva 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to win the title. In junior doubles, Annika Penickova and Kristina Penickova defeated Polina Berezina and Alisa Terentyeva to win the title.

One crown passed on, the other still up for grabs

Though it was statistically possible, there probably weren't a lot of us who were thinking, at the start of this U.S. Open, that the final would result in an outgoing world number 1 facing an incoming world number 1, but that's exactly what will happen tomorrow. When she won her quarterfinal match against Zheng Qinwen, Elena Rybakina became the number 1 player in the world, dethroning Aryna Sabalenka. Rybakina went on to win her semifinal match against Coco Gauff, while Sabalenka defeated Gauff's countrywoman, Jessica Pegula. The final will also, of course, feature the number 1 and number 2 seeds of the tournament.

The first set of the Sabalenka-Pegula semifinal match was quite competitive, the second--not so much. Pegula had only one break opportunity in the match, and she wasn't able to convert it. Sabalenka's 7-5, 6-2 victory gives her a chance to do something that only two other women have done--win the U.S. Open more than two consecutive times. Serena Williams won it three consecutive times, and Chris Evert won it four consecutive times. Sabalenka's defeat of Pegula was also her third in a row in Flushing Meadows.

The Gauff-Rybakina semifinal match was more complicated. Swept along by a wildly enthusiastic crowd, Gauff took the first set, but Rybakina raised her level in the second, and Gauff's sometime nemesis--her forehand--began to haunt her. Rybakina won that set, then took the lead in the third set. However, when she served for the match at 5-3, Gauff broke her. Rybakina then broke her right back, defeating her 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Before this year, Rybakina had never advanced beyond the round of 16 at the U.S. Open.

Sabalenka, incidentally, has reached the final of both hard court majors four years in a row. Of those eight finals, she won four. Overall, Sabalenka leads Rybakina 9-7. It's a close rivalry.

She and Rybakina have met seventeen times, and six of those meetings were in finals; Rybakina won four of them. 

Paths to the final:

ARYNA SABALENKA (1)
round 1--def. Camila Osorio
round 2--Polina Iatcenko
round 3--def. Kamilla Rakhimova
round of 16--def. Taylor Townsend
quarterfinals--def. Linda Noskova (6)
semifinals--def. Jessica Pegula (3) 

ELENA RYBAKINA (2) 
round 1--def. Thea Frodin
round 2--def. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
round 3--def. Yulia Starodubtseva
round of 16--def. Naomi Osaka (13)
quarterfinals--def. Zheng Qinwen (Q)
semifinals--def. Coco Gauff (4)

Down to four at the U.S. Open

ELENA ANDREYEVNA RYBAKINA IS OUR NEW WORLD NO. 1. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 9, 2026 at 1:03 PM

In Tuesday's first quarterfinal match, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka had to go against another big hitter--Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. The three-set match lived up to expectations: Noskova hit 46 winners, including 18 aces, while Sabalenka hit 42 winners, including 12 aces. The world number 1 emerged the victor 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-6 (7), and she described the match as "a really tough, tight battle. Of her opponent, Sabalenka said, "What an incredible player she is...."

The defending champion won the match with a second serve ace on her first match point, which was quite a statement in itself.  

In Tuesday's evening quarterfinal, countrywomen Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro met for the fourth time in their careers. Pegula had won all four of those matches, including one played just recently in Cincinnati. Navarro, for her part, took a couple of months off this spring after dealing with health issues for a long time. 

It was exhausting, just watching this match. Both players are known for their "strictly business" approach to playing matches, and it was indeed strictly business. Pegula's serve was inconsistent and not up to her usual standard, and her opponent took advantage of that fact. Navarro took the first set 6-3, and--not surprisingly--Pegula brought her level up and won the second set. The 3rd seed became a bit wobbly again in the final set, but once again raised her level, and emerged with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory. 

In today's first quarterfinal, qualifier (a strange description for someone who was an Australian Open runner-up and who is the holder of an Olympic gold medal)  Zheng Qinwen took advantage of a not quite in-form Elena Rybakina and took the first set. But--just like in the Pegula match--Rybakina elevated her game in the second set and won it 6-1. She would go on to win the third set, and--in doing so--she not became a U.S. Open semifinalist, she also became the world number 1. Before this year, Rybakina had never advanced past the round of 16 in Flushing Meadows.

In the final quarterfinal match, 2026 Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva faced off against two-time major champion (one of those titles was earned at the 2023 U.S. Open) Coco Gauff.  Andreeva began the match by breaking Gauff, then rather quickly went up 4-0. She won that set 6-2, making it the first set that Gauff had lost in the tournament. 

The second set was thrilling by any standard, and included some really long rallies. It went to a tiebreak, in which Gauff led, but then Andreeva brought it to 5-all, then failed to convert a match point. She then failed to convert her second match point, and Gauff won the set on her set point. Gauff then dominated the third set, and--at 2-5 in the third--it was Andreeva who saved a match point, but Gauff won on her second attempt.

It was a stunning victory against a very difficult opponent. Both players made 42 unforced errors; Gauff hit 22 winners, Andreeva hit 25. Gauff also double-faulted twelve times, yet she was able to overcome every deficit in her game.

Here is the semifinal draw, which features the tournament's top four seeds:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Jessica Pegula (3)
Coco Gauff (4) v. Elena Rybakina (2) 

In doubles, top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend advanced to the final by defeating 8th seeds Elise Mertens and Diana Shnaider 6-0, 7-6 (8). (Shnaider's usual partner, Mirra Andreeva, is stepping back a bit from doubles, so they aren't playing together on a regular basis.) Also advancing to the final were the unseeded team of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery, who defeated 2nd seeds Gaby Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8).

In wheelchair competition, the two top seeds, Defending champion Yui Kamiji and Diede de Groot, both advanced to the second round; De Groot had to go three sets against countrywoman Lizzy De Greef. 

Come for the tennis, stay for the drama

QINWEN ZHENG WON BOTH OF THESE SETS IN BACK-TO-BACK MATCHES 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

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— The Tennis Letter (@thetennisletter.bsky.social) September 7, 2026 at 11:47 AM

Pro tennis is dramatic by nature, and WTA tennis is known for sometimes adding that extra something to the mix. But I doubt if anyone was expecting the Zheng Qinwen Show. Zheng, who was a finalist at the 2024 Australian Open and who demonstrated great potential from the moment she entered the tour, has recently had to find her way back from a lengthy injury break. The Chinese star had elbow injury in July of 2025, and didn't return to the tour until February of this year. 

Zheng had to qualify to play in this year's U.S. Open. Having won her three qualifying rounds, she proceeded to defeat world number 125 Kristina Liutova, and then--in the second round--the often tricky Yulia Putintseva; that match lasted over two and a half hours. But that was just a warmup for the main (so far) part of the Show: In the third round, Zheng came back from 0-5 in the third set to defeat Madison Keys. Granted, Keys was feeling out of sorts, and is also known for sometimes transforming victory into defeat, but nevertheless--drama.

Today, in the continuation of round of 16 play, Zheng faced 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, and suddenly, she found herself down 0-5 in the first set. No problem--the world number 121 won that set 7-5, then went on to win the second set 6-3. In doing so, Zheng became the first qualifier (or lucky loser) to beat Swiatek at a major. 

In another exciting round of 16 match, Roland-Garros champion Mirra Andreeva faced off against former countrywoman Anastasia Potapova, who has been playing some excellent tennis lately. Potapova won the fist set 7-5, Andreeva won the second, 6-4, and--just as Potapova was fighting to stay in the match at 3-5 in the third--she fell and hurt her knee. Potapova received treatment, but the knee wrap wasn't enough to bring her movement back to where it had been; Andreeva won the set 6-3.

Swiatek wasn't the only former U.S. Open champion to exit in the round of 16 today. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka lost in straight sets to Elena Rybakina, who achieved her 6-1, 6-4 score with a scary first serve win percentage of 87. She also hit 29 winners and made only 17 unforced errors. The two-time major champion, who has yet to drop a set, now advances to her first U.S. Open quarterfinal. Rybakina had to retire in Cincinnati because of a foot injury, but that appears to be resolved.

In today's final round of 16 match, 2023 champion Coco Gauff played against countrywoman Iva Jovic, who had all that she could deal with in the first set, which Gauff won 6-1. Jovic began playing better in the second set, but she couldn't play well enough to stop Gauff, who defeated her 6-1, 6-4. 

 Here is the quarterfinal draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Linda Noskova (6)
Jessica Pegula (3) v. Emma Navarro (26)
Mirra Andreeva (5) v. Coco Gauff (4)
Zheng Qinwen (Q) v. Elena Rybakina (2)

Evonne Goolagong's strange U.S. Open record

Though Maria Sharapova holds the unusual record of losing five Miami finals and never winning the event, Evonne Goolagong (who, in 1975, became Evonne Goolagong Cawley) holds an even more unusual record: She never won the U.S. Open, but she lost four consecutive finals.

In 1973, Margaret Court defeated Goolagong in three sets. The next year, the Australian star was defeated by Billie Jean King, also in three sets. In 1975, she won only one game against King. And in 1976, Chris Evert defeated Goolagong Cawley 6-3, 6-0. 

Googlagong Cawley would compete in the U.S. Open one more time, in 1979, and would lose in the quarterfinals to Evert. 

Goolagong and Evert had a serious rivalry that has been overshadowed by the remarkable rivalry of Evert and Martina Navratilova. The two had significantly different games, which made for great tennis theatre. They met 27 times, with Evert ruling the rivalry 19-8.

Goolagong Cawley holds seven major titles--four Australian Open, one Roland-Garros, and two Wimbledon (the second one came at the expense of Evert). 

I have Goolagong-Cawley to thank for my lifelong enthusiasm for women's professional tennis. I was in London, visiting relatives, and Wimbledon was in session. My relatives kept the television on the tournament the entire time I was there, though I don't recall any of them watching it for very long. But I did--because I was mesmerized by graceful athleticism of the young woman with the musical name. To my delight, she won the tournament. I would later also become a major Chris Evert fan.