When Elena Rybakina won her first major championship—Wimbledon, in 2022—observers noted her low-key victory celebration. Rybakina barely registered a fist-pump. Her opponent in that final, Ons Jabeur, joked she’d have to teach Rybakina “how to celebrate properly.” Rybakina’s second Slam, the Australian Open earlier this year, wasn’t all that animated either: another left fist, maybe more of a smile, after she delivered an ace to bounce Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne.
Would outlasting Sabalenka again, on a Saturday in New York City, to thwart Sabalenka’s well-publicized attempt at a U.S. Open three-peat, compel Rybakina to at least fall to the ground, as per tennis tradition? We’re not asking for a hardcourt snow angel over here.
But Rybakina’s 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Sabalenka in Saturday’s U.S. Open final didn’t just make her a first-time U.S. By winning two majors this year, Rybakina became one of the standout global athletes, across sports, in 2026.
Open, Ben Shelton Has America Believing Again On Monday, she’ll take the world’s No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka. Rybakina, 27, just goes about her business. She aced Sabalenka, again, to clinch her third career major on Saturday.
She raised her arms, hugged Sabalenka at the net, and clapped her racket, gently, as the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd gave Rybakina her due. In a tournament marked by the “look at me” behavior of influencers and other clout chasers—in the stands blocking walkways and at times interrupting on-court proceedings with murmurs and selfies—Rybakina sent the opposite message. That approach, combined with her 2026 performance, is certainly worth our admiration.
Late in the second set, the match almost turned. All was going Rybakina’s way: Sabalenka, known for on-court histrionics, had already been pegged with a ball abuse violation, had bounced a racket off the court in frustration, and spent some time berating herself on the court. New Yorkers connect with Sabalenka, in part, because she can be neurotic, in public, just like them.
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