U.S. Open 2026 Women’s Final: Sabalenka and Rybakina Collide for Championship Title

It was meant to be.

The 2026 U.S. Open women’s draw culminates in a final between the top two seeds. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka stands one victory away from becoming the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles. No. 2 Elena Rybakina will look to prove her重新asserted world No. 1 ranking against the player who held that position for 99 consecutive weeks.

This will mark their fourth encounter of the season and a rematch of the Australian Open final. Rybakina claimed the Melbourne title, but has since fallen to Sabalenka in their two most recent meetings.

How to watch the U.S. Open 2026 women’s final

• Venue: Billie Jean King National Tennis Center — Queens, N.Y.
• Date: Saturday, Sept. 12 at 4 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)

ESPN is also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription. The list of global broadcasters can be found on the U.S. Open website.

In Thursday’s semifinal, Sabalenka delivered some of the most commanding tennis of her recent form, defeating No. 3 Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2. Classic Sabalenka was on full display: she dominated the court and registered a total of 29 winners, showcasing the level fans have been eager to see in recent months.

Standing firm on her serve against No. 3 Pegula, Sabalenka advanced to her fourth consecutive U.S. Open final — only her second Grand Slam final appearance of the season.

Rybakina faced a far more dramatic semifinal. After dropping the opening set to home favorite Coco Gauff, she mounted a comeback and capitalized on Gauff’s errors to secure a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

The decisive games in both the second and third sets came on Gauff’s serve. And while Rybakina forced errors from Gauff in the final game of the match, Gauff committed three of her 32 unforced errors in the crucial second-set tiebreak game.

The U.S. Open crowd was denied a potential All-American final between Gauff and Pegula this year. Still, a thrilling championship showdown between Sabalenka and Rybakina lies ahead. Both players showed promise early in the season before arriving in New York with lingering concerns. Sabalenka has not claimed a tournament title since the Miami Open in March, while Rybakina retired from the Cincinnati Open in August due to injury.

Ultimately, Sabalenka and Rybakina will meet in a major final once again. Sabalenka enters as the favorite, but a loss would mean she has failed to win a major for the first time since 2022.

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