New York (AFP) – 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. The blockbuster final in Flushing Meadows is a repeat of the Australian Open final in January, won by Rybakina, who avenged a 2023 loss to Sabalenka in the Melbourne title match.
Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 10-7, including victories over Rybakina on the way to titles in the prestigious WTA 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March. But the 28-year-old Belarusian’s results had tailed off since then, with disappointing exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. She has reemerged as a dominant force at Flushing Meadows, where she delivered a near-flawless display of power and precision to beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets to reach her fourth straight US Open final.
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Rybakina fought back from a set down to beat 2023 champion Coco Gauff and reach her first US Open final. By then, the 27-year-old was assured of supplanting Sabalenka atop the rankings by virtue of reaching the semi-finals. It’s a satisfying accomplishment for a player whose preparations for the tournament were clouded by a heel injury that forced her out of the tournament in Cincinnati last month and had her wondering if she would be able to play at all.
In fact, the injury has not appeared to be an issue, and Sabalenka was bracing for another demanding encounter. “She’s a big server. She really improved over the years on the baseline game,” Sabalenka said. “So it’s going to be a physically and mentally tough match. But I’m ready for the fight. I’m ready to do everything to get the win.”
Rybakina, whose self-contained demeanor makes her a perfect foil to the fiery Sabalenka, also stressed the mental demands of a matchup that leaves no margin for error. “She’s a very aggressive player. It’s difficult to play with her, mentally, physically, because she has a big game, a big serve,” Rybakina said. “I will need to come with all the energy I will have, bring my best serve against Aryna and make the right decisions in the right moment, because most of the times it’s a tight, tight score. This is where the decision makes a difference.”
Sabalenka, who leads the head-to-head 10-7, is the first player in the Open era to reach eight straight hard court Grand Slam finals, but she has stumbled in several. Before her loss to Rybakina in Melbourne this year, she was upset by Madison Keys there in 2025—the American spoiling Sabalenka’s bid for a third straight Australian title. As she now tries to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three consecutive US Open titles, Sabalenka says she has learned to tune out the noise surrounding the three-peat bid. “It sounds simple, but it’s not really simple to do sometimes,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said.
A victory for Rybakina, whose second Grand Slam title in Australia came four years after her maiden major at Wimbledon, would further cement her status at the summit—and as chief rival to Sabalenka. But Rybakina insists their fierce on-court rivalry isn’t personal. “It’s an important match,” she said, but added: “Since it’s a final I feel like it doesn’t matter who is on the other side. You just want to win and do your best. But also, I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself,” she added.
Both players say that lifting the trophy come Saturday is more important than the No.1 ranking. Sabalenka admitted it felt “a little bit weird” to know she’ll lose the top spot after a dominant two weeks in New York, but if the fortnight ends with a title, she said: “I don’t care.”
© 2024 AFP
