The 27-year-old defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win her first US Open title, complete a remarkable rise to the top of women's tennis and claim her third Grand Slam crown.

However the final unfolds, both men have already changed their stories in 2026.

Aryna Sabalenka may have lost her US Open crown and world No. 1 ranking to Elena Rybakina, but the Belarusian still had a joke to share -- challenging her new rival to match her 99-week reign at the top at a stretch.

Elena Rybakina punctuated her rise to world number one with a US Open title on Sunday, but the Kazakh star at the summit of the women's game remains an enigmatic figure.

Elena Rybakina denied Aryna Sabalenka a third straight US Open title on Saturday, punctuating her rise to world number one with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the player she's replacing at the summit.

With the semi-final line-up having already ensured a Black American man would reach the final, Shelton's win made him the first to do so in New York since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and at any of the majors since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.

Aryna Sabalenka is "ready for the fight" as she eyes a third straight title at the US Open, where the woman standing in her way, Elena Rybakina, has already ended Sabalenka's reign at number one in the world.

Top seed Alexander Zverev out-gunned Karen Khachanov to reach his third straight Grand Slam final on Friday, rolling into the US Open title match with a straight-sets win.

Rybakina capitalised on some sloppy play by the fourth-seeded American in the second set to level the match and silence the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.

Sabalenka beat Pegula en route to US Open wins in 2024 and 2025

Rybakina beat Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and is assured of ending Aryna Sabalenka's reign atop the standings -- even if the Belarusian wins a third straight title.

The Australian Open winner, who will replace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings when they are updated after the tournament, recovered from a slow start and struck 20 winners as she gradually broke down Zheng’s resistance.

The big-hitting Shelton claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7), ending the Spaniard's hopes of retaining his title in his first tournament back after a four-month injury absence.

Sabalenka triumphed 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7) over the 21-year-old Wimbledon champion, who went toe-to-toe with the world number one on Arthur Ashe Stadium -- where men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faced eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton in the last match of the night.

It was one more gritty win for Zheng, the Paris Olympics gold medallist and a former world number four now ranked 121st after struggling in the wake of elbow surgery last year.

Ben Shelton's run to the U.S. Open quarter-finals dealt a blow to tennis traditionalists on Sunday after his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas left the men's draw without a one-handed backhand and ended a 149-year Grand Slam streak.

"I played my game," said Alcaraz, who unleashed 33 winners as he moved fluidly around the court, thwarting Paul at every turn in the two-hour 20-minute match.

Sabalenka rallied from 3-1 down in the second set for a 6-4, 6-3 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium, where men's defending champion Carlos Alcaraz took on 20th-seeded American Tommy Paul in search of a quarter-final berth.

World number two Elena Rybakina avenged her French Open defeat to Yuliia Starodubtseva on Sunday, beating the unseeded Ukrainian 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 to reach the US Open last 16.

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka survived another erratic outing, beating Belgian Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 on Sunday to reach the US Open fourth round.