'I'll take it back' – Aryna Sabalenka fires warning to Elena Rybakina ahead of US Open Final face-off
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A ranking swap and a Grand Slam final are landing on the same weekend, and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus finds herself on the wrong end of one but still with a shot at the other.
From Monday, Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina takes over as world No.1, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top. Yet it is Sabalenka, not Rybakina, who arrives at Saturday’s US Open final chasing history, one win away from a third straight title in New York.
That contradiction sits at the centre of this final. Rybakina sealed the ranking change with her quarter-final win over China’s Qinwen Zheng, a three-setter she won 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 after dropping the opener.
She followed it with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 semi-final win over USA’s Coco Gauff, closing out a run that made the switch at the top mathematically certain before she had even booked her final spot.
Related: Explained – How Elena Rybakina dethroned Aryna Sabalenka to become WTA World No. 1
Sabalenka, meanwhile, beat USA’s Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in her own semi-final, extending a run that has left her unbeaten in New York since the 2023 final.
Why Sabalenka is calling this “a bit weird”
Sabalenka did not shy away from the oddity of her situation when she spoke to reporters after the Pegula match.
“I really understand how tough it is to reach world No.1. It was one of my goals. But right now, [there’s] not much I could do. I didn’t really perform well in the middle of the season. Elena took it over and played really well,” she said.
She was equally direct about what Saturday’s final means to her beyond the ranking math. “I can only focus on myself and stay in the moment and try to do my best right now. Just keep it tight, and maybe I will take it back from her,” Sabalenka said.
Related: Not ‘World No. 1’ ranking, Aryna Sabalenka is eyeing something bigger at US Open 2026
“It does feel a bit weird [that] you can perform well at the tournament and still be taken away the number 1 position. It’s okay. It’s sport. I love that. That’s the beauty of sport,” she added.
The numbers explain why Sabalenka is still the player to beat on this surface, regardless of whether she’s ranked or not. Her run to Saturday makes her the first player, man or woman, to reach eight consecutive hard-court Grand Slam finals in the Open era.
She has not dropped a US Open final since 2023 and is bidding to become just the third woman in the Open era to win three straight titles here.
She leads Rybakina 10-7, including wins at this year’s Indian Wells final and a Miami semi-final, though Rybakina beat her in January’s Australian Open final.
Saturday’s final will also be the first US Open women’s final between the tournament’s top two seeds since 2013.
How is Elena Rybakina becoming world No.1 despite Sabalenka reaching the final too?
Rankings are calculated on results across the full season, not just one tournament. Rybakina’s run through the draw, including her quarter-final win over Qinwen Zheng, gave her enough points to overtake Sabalenka regardless of how far Sabalenka herself advanced in New York.
How has Sabalenka performed at the US Open in recent years?
She has reached the final in each of the last four editions and has not lost a match in New York since falling to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, putting her in position to win a third consecutive title this weekend
When is the US Open 2026 Final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina?
The US Open 2026 Final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will be played on Sunday (September 13).
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