The 2026 U.S. Open ended this weekend with Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev claiming the women’s and men’s singles championships, respectively.
Rybakina captured her first U.S. Open title, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set final on Sept. 12.
Rybakina took control early, winning the opening set 6-4. Sabalenka responded in the second set, breaking late to take the set 7-5 to force a deciding set. The momentum shifted back to Rybakina, as she closed out the match 6-2.
This win gave Rybakina her third Grand Slam championship and the second this year, both against Sabalenka after beating her for the Australian Open title earlier this season. Earlier this week, Rybakina replaced Sabalenka at No. 1 in the world rankings, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top.
“It’s still so difficult to process what happened,” Rybakina said. “Too many achievements these few weeks.”
A few weeks before the U.S. Open, Rybakina had an Achilles tendon injury and stopped her quarterfinal match in the Cincinnati Open.
Despite the setback, she remained healthy to make a deep run and win the championship.
But for Sabalenka, the loss ended a 19-match U.S. Open win streak and prevented her from winning the tournament for a third year in a row.
“I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had there today,” Sabalenka said. “Not good enough.”
On the men’s side, Zverev, the top seed, faced American Ben Shelton, the eighth seed, in a four-set thriller on Sept. 13.
Zverev was looking to capture his second title of the season, while Shelton was competing in his first Grand Slam final.
“It’s such a cool moment,” Shelton said. “Walking out on that court today, there’s nothing like it. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
Zverev won the first set 6-3 and took the second set 7-6. Shelton refused to back down, winning the third set in a tight 7-5 to force a fourth set. With the crowd cheering on Shelton, he continued to challenge Zverev early in the fourth set. However, Zverev regained control and pulled away to win the set 6-2 to secure the title.
The victory gave Zverev his second Grand Slam title of the season, but his first U.S. Open championship of his career.
“We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam and now we won two in the span of three months,” Zverev said to his team in the post-match ceremony. “I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through, and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”
Despite falling short of the title, Shelton’s run marked another major step forward in his career. He overcame several difficult opponents during his run to the final, including Carlos Alcaraz, who won the title in 2025.
Rybakina and Zverev leave New York as 2026 U.S. Open champions, while Sabalenka and Shelton will have to wait till next season to add a major to their résumés.
