It’s two deserving champions battling for one US Open title, with two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka (the current world No. 1) taking on Elena Rybakina (the rising world No. 1) in the final Grand Slam match of the 2026 women’s season.
When Aryna Sabalenka takes on Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s women’s singles final, it will be the first time the top two seeds have squared off for the US Open women’s crown since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka for the fifth of her six US Open singles titles.
The 2026 Flushing finale, a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final, will be the 18th meeting for Sabalenka and Rybakina, with the former currently holding a 10-7 advantage. The two women are even in their career hard-court series, 7-7, while Sabalenka leads in Grand Slam play, 2-1, and has also won two of their three matchups this year. But the one Rybakina victory was the biggest: a barnburner of a three-setter in Melbourne to kick off the 2026 Grand Slam campaign.
Given their long history, there will likely be few surprises on Saturday. Sabalenka and Rybakina know each other’s games well. They excel at plus-one tennis: the high-octane serve followed by a ground-stroke winner. And they have proven they can prevail on the biggest stages, with six Grand Slam titles and myriad other championships (five combined this year, 37 for their careers) between them.
On Saturday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, one will add a Tiffany keepsake to a crowded trophy case, whether that is a history-making third consecutive women’s singles title for Sabalenka or a capstone on a career season for Rybakina.
With that, let’s take a look at how they got here and who is in the best stead to end their 2026 Grand Slam season on the highest of notes.
Aryna Sabalenka
Seed/Rank: 1/1
Next Opponent: No. 2 Elena Rybakina
Best US Open Result: W (2024-25)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2023-24 Australian Open, 2024-25 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-1
Distance Run: 16,755 feet
Time Spent on Court: 8 hours, 47 minutes
Sabalenka has made herself at home in New York. With her third Finals Weekend victory over Jessica Pegula in three years, the top seed pulled into her fourth consecutive US Open women’s singles final — the first player to do so since Serena Williams from 2011 to 2014 — as she pursues a third straight Open title, which would put her alongside Williams (2012-14) and Chris Evert (1975-78) as the only women to win three consecutive US Open women’s singles titles in the Open Era.
It has been a mildly disappointing 2026 for Sabalenka, which speaks to her high expectations. She has posted routinely excellent results (titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami, and a runner-up finish at the Australian Open), but arrived in Flushing Meadows without a Grand Slam singles title to show for her efforts. And at Open’s end, she’ll lose her No. 1 ranking to her opponent on Saturday, Elena Rybakina, after a 99-week reign.
Still, a US Open title would go a long way toward redeeming the season, and Sabalenka has played this fortnight with that sense of urgency. The four-time major winner (all on hard courts) cruised through five of her six matches — she lost just 22 games in her first four matches and played brilliantly to oust Pegula in straight sets in the semifinals — and she demonstrated championship mettle in holding off reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in a third-set tiebreak in the Round of 8. And she is, albeit nominally, the fresher of the two finalists, having spent an hour less on court and having run 7,000 feet fewer than Rybakina through six rounds.
Elena Rybakina
Seed/Rank: 2/2
Next Opponent: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka
Best US Open Result: F (2026)
Previous Best US Open Result: 4R (2025)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2022 Wimbledon, 2026 Australian Open), F (2023 Australian Open, 2026 US Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 12-2
Distance Run: 23,893 feet
Time Spent on Court: 9 hours, 43 minutes
From Martina Navratilova to Rafael Nadal, there is a long list of champions who took some time to adjust to New York. Add Rybakina to that group. The two-time major winner thrived across the globe, reaching the final at the Australian Open in 2023 and winning the title this year, advancing to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2024, and winning the Wimbledon title in 2022 and backing that up with quarterfinal and semifinal showings, respectively, the next two years. But the US Open was always a struggle. Rybakina failed to make it past the third round in her first six trips to Flushing Meadows and exited in the Round of 16 last year — a fair showing, but not indicative of her talent.
At the outset, it didn’t appear her outlook for 2026 was much better. Rybakina knew she needed to advance to the semifinals to capture the world’s No. 1 ranking, but she entered with a balky ankle that put her participation in doubt. Now she is one victory away from her second Slam of the season. It has been an impressive run to the final: Rybakina didn’t drop a set en route to the quarterfinals, where she came from a set down to defeat Zheng Qinwen. Her semifinal was an even bigger challenge: the 27-year-old rallying once again to oust fan favorite Coco Gauff in a taught three-setter.
Rybakina’s reward? Top seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka. It’s a tall task, but Rybakina has good memories to draw on: She defeated her rival in three sets earlier this year to claim the championship in Melbourne.
