Sabalenka vs Rybakina: US Open women’s singles final – start, prize, form
Who: Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina
What: US Open 2026 women’s singles final
Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, United States
When: Saturday, September 12, 4pm local time (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1pm local time (17:00 GMT) before our live text commentary stream.
The top two seeds at the US Open 2026 clash in the women’s singles final on Saturday, as two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on soon-to-be world No. 1 Elena Rybakina.
Saturday’s clash at Arthur Ashe Stadium offers top seed Sabalenka the opportunity to complete a rare “three-peat” of US Open titles – a feat achieved by only two other women.
But second seed Rybakina will try to deal Sabalenka another blow, having already ensured the Belarusian’s 99-week reign at the top when the rankings are updated on Monday.
As the pair meet in a Grand Slam final for the third time, Al Jazeera tells you everything you need to know:
Who did Sabalenka and Rybakina beat in the semifinals?
Sabalenka eliminated top-ranked American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the first semifinal on Thursday, continuing her bid to join Chris Evert and Serena Williams as the only women to win three straight US Open titles.
In the second semifinal, Rybakina silenced the partisan crowd, rallying from a set down to beat 2023 champion Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
When did Sabalenka and Rybakina last meet?
They’ve met three times this year, with Sabalenka winning their semifinal clash in Miami and the final at Indian Wells in southern California.
Rybakina not putting pressure on herself before Sabalenka showdown
Rybakina said she will not put extra pressure on herself before her maiden US Open final, viewing the showdown as another chance to test herself against a rival who pushes her to the limit.
“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,” the 27-year-old added.
“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.”
