By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka is going for a third consecutive U.S. Open title. Standing in her way is Elena Rybakina, who is taking over for her as the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world.
Sabalenka and Rybakina meet in the final on Saturday (1 p.m. PT, ESPN), their third time playing for a Grand Slam championship and 18th head-to-head matchup of their careers. It comes with them at the top of their games and the top of the sport after Sabalenka beat Jessica Pegula in straight sets and Rybakina rallied past Coco Gauff in the semifinals.
“We’re dealing with the two best players in the last couple of years on the women’s side,” former men’s player Max Mirnyi, now part of Sabalenka’s coaching team, said Friday. “Their results and their rankings and their titles speak for themselves. When they see each other across the net, I think that brings out the best in each one of them.”
Sabalenka entered the U.S. Open in a bit of a rut, failing to reach the quarterfinals in each of her past three tournaments, including an exit in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon. The 28-year-old has looked right at home back in Flushing Meadows, losing just one set in six matches and making another deep run in dominant fashion.
“She’s in love with New York, I guess,” coach Anton Dubrov said with a laugh, noting Sabalenka’s strength on hard courts and calmness in the chaotic environment of Arthur Ashe Stadium. “If she’s in control of (her) energy, she’s pretty good.”
Sabalenka has been first in the WTA rankings since Oct. 21, 2024. Regardless of the result, that changes Monday, with Rybakina ascending to that spot for the first time.
Rybakina, 27, is one victory away from her third major title and second this year. She won the Australian Open in January, beating Sabalenka in the final.
“It’s an important match, and since it’s a final, honestly, I feel like it doesn’t matter who is on the other side,” Rybakina said. “You just want to win and do your best.”
Sabalenka has won 10 of her 17 matches against Rybakina, including two of three at Grand Slams. Rybakina is 4-2 when they’ve faced off in a final.
“She’s a very aggressive player: It’s difficult to play with her, mentally, physically because she has big game, 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.”
Mirnyi believes Sabalenka has gotten better throughout the tournament. That was evident in her making quick work of the third-ranked Pegula, 7-5, 6-2, in 80 minutes to reach her fourth U.S. Open final in a row.
So much for the concerns over Sabalenka’s summer struggles.
“I feel confident, and I feel mentally and physically really strong right now,” Sabalenka said. “I keep the same routine. The last couple of months really teach me how to shut down the noise from outside. I think that’s what’s the meaning behind all of those tough lessons to finally learn how to stay focused on myself and forget about the outside noise.”
Much of that noise was about being – and losing – No. 1 status. Sabalenka’s coaches see a benefit in having the situation settled.
“It’s extra fuel: ‘I have to prove who’s who,’” Dubrov said. “There’s a next chapter right now. You have to chase again. It’s extra motivation for you. Just go and get it.”
TOWNSEND, SINIAKOVA WIN WOMEN’S DOUBLES TITLE
Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova won their first U.S. Open women’s doubles title together Friday, completing their career Grand Slam as a team by defeating the wild card pair of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery in the final.
Townsend and Siniakova rallied after a rough start contributed to losing the first three games and dropping the first set. The top seeds started looking like it with aggressive shots at the net, and they took control of the match on the way to a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“There was lot of nerves,” Siniakova said. “We were really fighting for this one, so I’m just really proud. We did it.”
The result validated Townsend’s confidence in her play after getting knocked out of the singles tournament by top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka. The 30-year-old American expressed confidence in her tennis at the moment, especially knowing she still had another opportunity in doubles.
That turned into her fourth major championship after she and Siniakova won Wimbledon in 2024, the Australian Open in 2025 and the French Open earlier this year. It is Siniakova’s 12th after winning seven with fellow Czech player Barbora Krejcikova and one with Coco Gauff.
It was an impressive run for Krueger and Montgomery, who respectively rank 570th and 610th in doubles and went through each half of defending champions Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski separately in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Krueger and Montgomery reunited five years after winning the U.S. Open girls’ doubles title and advancing a round at the women’s level in 2021.
“We put (the wild card) to really good use,” Krueger said.
Townsend and Siniakova got retribution after falling short against Routliffe and Dabrowski in the final a year ago. Townsend dropped to her knees after the final point and was all smiles as she said to Siniakova that they finally did it.
“If flipping the script had a face,” Townsend said, “you’d see my face.”