Rybakina Stops Sabalenka’s Three-Peat as Zverev Captures His Second Major of 2026

The 2026 US Open delivered two finals with real drama — and two champions whose seasons will now be remembered as career-defining.

Rybakina denies history

On Saturday, September 12, Elena Rybakina faced top seed and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka with the American crowd expecting another Sabalenka coronation. Instead, Rybakina won 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, ending Sabalenka’s bid for a rare three-peat in New York.

The victory carried an extra prize: it lifted Rybakina to world No. 1 in the rankings. Her serve, long one of the most feared shots in the women’s game, was decisive in the final set as she pulled away.

Zverev’s big year gets bigger

A day later, Alexander Zverev beat American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2. Shelton, roared on by the home crowd, stole the third set and briefly threatened a comeback, but Zverev’s consistency carried him through the fourth.

It was Zverev’s second major title of 2026, following his triumph at Roland Garros — a remarkable turnaround for a player who spent years being described as the best man never to have won a Grand Slam.

Doubles history, too

The doubles draws produced their own headlines. Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova won the women’s title and in doing so completed a career Grand Slam as a team. Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison took the men’s doubles, and Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won the mixed event.

Add in the off-court influencer debate and a crowd-pleasing run from Shelton, and the 2026 edition will go down as one of the more memorable US Opens in recent years.

This story was written by the Celestia Times newsroom based on the reporting linked above. Details in developing stories can change; see our corrections policy to report an error. Illustration is original artwork, not a photograph of the events described.