Elena Rybakina Claims US Open Title, Ascends to World No. 1 Ranking

Kazakhstani star Elena Rybakina has claimed the US Open tennis title, one of the four major Grand Slam tournaments, held on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows with a total prize fund of $108 million. This victory makes her the first player from Kazakhstan to achieve this feat and the first to top the professional women's tennis world rankings, which will be officially released tomorrow, Monday. Rybakina secured her triumph by defeating her Belarusian rival Aryna Sabalenka two sets to one, with scores of (4-6), (7-5), and (6-2), in the final match held early Sunday morning, which lasted two hours and 21 minutes. With this win, Rybakina brought an end to Sabalenka's remarkable 19-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. Elena Rybakina, 27, clinched her maiden US Open title, marking her third Grand Slam victory overall. This is her second major title in 2026, following her win at the Australian Open last January, also against Sabalenka. She had previously won Wimbledon in 2022. This latest triumph increases her professional singles titles to 14. Rybakina received prize money of $5.5 million, the largest in Grand Slam history, while Sabalenka earned $2.8 million. In contrast, Aryna Sabalenka, 28, had been vying to become the first player to win the Flushing Meadows title three consecutive times since American Serena Williams achieved the feat between 2012 and 2014.