Elena Rybakina’s 2026 U.S. Open victory was a career landmark, but it came at a real physical price. The world No. 1 will bring the trophy home to Kazakhstan for celebrations, but she will be sitting out for another tournament as she prioritizes recovery.

Elena Rybakina was going to see her name on top of the women’s tennis rankings Monday no matter what happened in the U.S. Open women’s final.

Elena Rybakina won her first US Open championship and punctuated her climb to the top of women's tennis by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, claiming the third Grand Slam title of her career and second this year.

The 2026 US Open women's final features the No. 1 and 2 players in the world as two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on Elena Rybakina on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 4 p.m. ET. Sabalenka is seeking her fifth major title and third straight US Open crown while Rybakina is after her third major win and first US Open title.

An injury at the Cincinnati Open put Elena Rybakina at risk of missing the US Open, but she managed to win the Grand Slam after relying on painkillers throughout

Elena Rybakina certainly turned the tables at the US Open. Coming into the Grand Slam with a win-loss record of 8-6, there weren’t high expectations around her, even though she was among the highest-ranked players in the tournament.

U.S. Open champion Elena Rybakina turned down college and changed her citizenship to make her tennis dreams come true. Now she’s earning $11.4 million.