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.

 

Top seed and two-time defending champion Sabalenka advances to U.S. Open quarterfinals

Linda Noskova wins 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 vs Marta Kostyuk Linda was thinking not again after she had 2 match points when serving for the 2nd set but she gets across the line on match point #6. Becoming a master of bouncing back in the 3rd after not closing it out in 2.

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— Tennis Updates (@tennisupdates.bsky.social) September 6, 2026 at 2:18 PM

World number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who won the U.S. Open in 2025 and 2026, advanced to the quarterfinals today when she defeated Taylor Townsend in straight sets. Sabalenka has not won a major this year, though she did reach the final of the Australian Open. 

Also advancing was Wimbledon champion 6th seed Linda Noskova, who defeated 11th seed Marta Kostyuk 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. This was, as expected (at least, by me) a riveting match, with plenty of momentum swings. The stats are interesting: Kostyuk hit nine aces, Noskova hit none. Kostyuk had a first serve win percentage of 70, while Noskova's was 63. Kostyuk's winner-to-unforced error ratio was 36/33; Noskova's was 27/37. Kostyuk converted 71% of break points; Noskova converted 67%. (Noskova did better with her second serve than Kostyuk did.)

Those stats deserve one of those Linda Noskova Won This Match graphics. The young Czech star needed six match points to win it (Kostyuk saved two of then in dramatic fashion to force a third set.) She never gave up against a very athletic player who can drive opponents crazy, and she came through on a lot of really big points. "... I feel like a huge rock fell off my heart at the end," Noskova said after the two-and-a-half-hour match.

3rd seed Jessica Pegula defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in her career. The scoreline looks a bit boring, but--despite some inconsistency from both players--it was a good match. Cirstea, who is set to retire at the end of this season, has enjoyed the best season of her career in 2026. There was an especially nice moment between the players at the net following the match.

In today's final round of 16 match, Emma Navarro defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-4. Kalinskaya survived her third round match, in which she double-faulted fourteen times, but she was simply too inconsistent against an always-steady Navarro, alternating flashes of brilliance with moments of frustration-driven shot-making. 

One week in, and the U.S. Open is already a collection of notable stories

Queen-wen Returns! After fighting her way through qualifying and two main draw matches, Zheng Qinwen pulls off a stunning comeback to reach the 4th round at the US Open The reigning Olympic gold medalist rallies from a 0-5 deficit in the final set, winning the final 7 games to topple Madison Keys

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— Tick Tock Tennis (@ticktocktennis.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 12:40 PM

A lot has happened since main draw play began at the 2026 U.S. Open. Two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova lost (again) in the first round, the Williams sisters played (and lost) a long and entertaining doubles match, Karolina Muchova went from brilliant to befuddled, and Emma Navarro and Lois Boisson gave us a visual that ranks among the best of its kind when the victorious Navarro celebrated her victory in juxtaposition to Boisson's Zvonareva-level racket breaking.

And then there was the crowd. There is no longer any question--the U.S. crowd is more ill-behaved than even the French, who--for a long time--held the title. Among the drinking, the marijuana smoking, the policy that lets ticket-holders take their seats whenever they want, and the addition of a group of ill-behaving influencers (I hate it when I have to use that word), things have gotten out of control. In my opinion, anyone who disrupts play in any way--after one warning--should be escorted out of the stadium. I know--good luck with that.

Czechs are generally fixtures in the second week of majors, but--as of now--there is only one Czech standing. Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, seeded 6th, was put to a hard test in the third round by Ann Li, but she passed it. Krejcikova made it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon, but lost in the first round in all the other majors this season. A victim of the Czech Curse, Krejcikova just doesn't seem herself after her long injury and illness struggle. 

As for Muchova--after delivering bagels in both her first and second round matches--she simply could not find her serve in her third round match against Emma Navarro. Rising star Nikola Bartunkova gave Mirra Andreeva an excellent fight in the second set, but Andreeva prevailed, 6-2, 7-6 (5). And finally, in the third round, Marie Bouzkova gave it her all against 2022 champion Iga Swiatek, but Swiatek advanced with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3) victory. This was such a close match, and Bouzkova, despite losing, certainly played some of her best tennis.

Sorana Cirstea, playing in her (probably) final U.S. Open, continues to show the best of her game. The Romanian veteran, who is having one hell of a season, defeated Jasmine Paolini in the third round. Also in the third round, Anna Kalinskaya-- despite double-faulting fourteen times--defeated Elina Svitolina in a momentum-shifting three-set match. If Kalinskaya can get the serving problem under control, she has the power and accuracy to keep going at this event.

3rd seed Jessica Pegula had to come back from a 1-6 first set against Leylah Fernandez in the third round, while the ever-evolving Marta Kostyuk, seeded 11th, defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets, and the unseeded Taylor Towsend upset 15th seed Diana Shnaider. 

And then there was Madison Keys. who--up 5-0 in the third set--lost to a resurgent Zheng Qinwen.  This sort of thing happens rarely, but it does happen. After the match, Keys said: “I obviously got off to a really good lead, and then I just got really scared, like I couldn't swing. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over."

A highly anticipated match was the third round clash between close friends Iva Jovic and Alex Eala, two of the tour's youngest, most promising stars. They did not disappoint. Jovic experienced what appeared to be a slight leg injury, but it didn't appear to hamper her too much. There were several momentum swings during the match, and Jovic was down 2-4 in the third set, but fought her way back. Eala then saved a match point at 4-5, but--after over three hours--Jovic prevailed, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5. This was a splendid match by any standard.

Here is the round of 16 draw:

Aryna Sabalenka (1) v. Taylor Townsend 
Marta Kostyuk (11) v. Linda Noskova (6)
Jessica Pegula (3) v. Sorana Cirstea (16)
Anna Kalinskaya (21) v. Emma Navarro (26)
Mirra Andreeva (5) v. Anastasia Potapova (24)
Iva Jovic (14 ) v. Coco Guaff (4)
Iga Swiatek (8) v. Zheng Quinwen
Naomi Osaka (13) v. Elena Rybakina (2)