By Raz Mirza at Flushing Meadows, New York Friday 11 September 2026 20:58, UK Image: Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will battle it out in the US Open final on Saturday – live on Sky Sports Tennis Rybakina’s results this year, starting with her Australian Open final triumph against Sabalenka, will see her rise to the top of the rankings on Monday, ending the Belarussian’s 99-week reign. But Sabalenka can exact some revenge for both that defeat and being overtaken at the WTA summit by defending her US Open title against Rybakina in Saturday’s Flushing Meadows final – live on Sky Sports Tennis from 5pm. , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow cookies for this session only. Rybakina denies Gauff to set up blockbuster US Open final with Sabalenka🎾US Open news blog I Men’s and Women’s draws I Order of PlayDownload Sky Sports app for analysis, news and video 📺Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW📱 Sabalenka on a roll!
Since 1988, Aryna Sabalenka has become the fifth player to reach 5+ Grand Slam finals as world No 1 after Steffi Graf (20), Serena Williams (14), Monica Seles and Martina Hingis (nine each) Sabalenka is into her ninth Grand Slam final She is on a 19-match winning streak in New York. A three-peat is on! Sabalenka is now 36-3 in the last five years at the US Open It’s her eighth consecutive hard-court major final Seven top-10 wins this season and back-to-back at this tournament “I really understand about how tough it is to reach the world No 1,” said Sabalenka.”It’s a lot of work and, yeah, that was one of my goals, but right now there was 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. But I can only focus on myself and just stay in the moment and trying to do my best right now just so I keep it tight – and maybe I will take it back from her. “But, yeah, it does feel a little bit weird. You can perform well in the tournament but still lose the number one position.
So it’s OK. It’s sport. I love that. That’s the beauty of sport, right?
Like, everyone chasing everyone, and it’s all about little things that you improve and you get better at.” More from Us Open Tennis, 2026 US Open: Is men’s singles victory a formality for Alexander Zverev or will Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe or Karen Khachanov trouble him? US Open: Elena Rybakina defeats Coco Gauff to silence New York crowd and set up blockbuster final with Aryna Sabalenka US Open LIVE! Scores, updates, news, commentary, results from New York with Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe all in action US Open: Sky Sports agrees three-year extension to show the US Open until end of 2030 US Open: Draw, schedule, results from the final Grand Slam tournament of 2026 at Flushing Meadows in New York US Open Tennis: News, draw, schedule, results and updates from Flushing Meadows in New York A mouth-watering final between the two top seeds Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights from the US Open semi-final between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula Two-time defending champion Sabalenka is looking to become the first woman to achieve a unique hat-trick in New York since Serena Williams in 2014.It is a mouth-watering final between the two top seeds, the first time that has happened at the US Open since Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in 2013.”It’s an important match, and since it’s a final, it’s honestly, I feel like it doesn’t matter who is on the other side. You just want to win and do your best,” said Rybakina, the first player from Kazakhstan to reach world No 1.”But also, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself because we are all very close in the ranking.”Even if something goes wrong in the final, I still have other opportunities, other tournaments until the end of the year.”We push each other when we play these matches, and you clearly can see on what you need to work more.
I think that’s great that you play against someone who pushes you till the limits.” Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sabalenka was quick to highlight that everything she does off-court is worked around her tennis schedule ‘This is Sabalenka’s house and all the other girls are guests’ Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sabalenka was left furious over questions during her press conference at the US Open following her round-two victory, as one reporter asked her about her pre-tournament ‘partying’ Sabalenka admitted earlier in the tournament that she would rather win a third US Open title than retain the world No 1 ranking.Her performance coach Jason Stacy said: “Aryna is remembering who she is – being very, very aligned with who she is. She knows what she’s capable of. She knows that playing someone like Jess [Pegula] on a big stage in a big moment, that she needs to step it up.”She just has to show up and understand – no disrespect to anybody, is that this is her house and all the other girls are just guests, and it’s time for them to go home.” , which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow cookies for this session only. Max Mirnyi, a former Belarusian star who reached a career-high world No 18, added: “For Aryna, we can see that she has been improving as the tournament goes on.
We’re excited. She certainly fits well with New York. I think she fits perfectly for this environment.”She likes this circumstance of being the glamour girl and having the spotlight on her, dealing with the pressures of the night sessions, and she thrives in this pressure. That’s why she has been successful.” Sabalenka Rybakina 10 Overall 7 2 In Grand Slams 1 7 On Hard Courts 5 2 In Finals 4 Can Rybakina seal a third Grand Slam crown?
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights from the US Open semi-final between Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina Rybakina rallied to beat Coco Gauff in a thrilling semi-final to earn a title clash with defending champion Sabalenka and take a step towards her third Grand Slam crown.The pair have played two previous Grand Slam finals, with Sabalenka defeating Rybakina in the 2023 Australian Open decider before the Kazakh levelled the score at Melbourne Park in January.”It’s an important match, and since it’s a final, I feel like it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side,” said Rybakina.”I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, because we’re very close in the rankings. Even if something goes wrong in the final, I’ll still have other opportunities and other tournaments until the end of the year.”We push each other when we play these matches, and you can clearly see what you need to work on more. I think that’s great that you play against someone who pushes you to the limit.”The US Open is live on Sky Sports from August 30. Stream tennis with no contract on NOW and the Sky Sports App.
You can also watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September live on Sky Sports.
