America’s hope for winning the 2026 U.S. Open women’s singles title ended when both of the country’s top players, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, fell short in the semifinals. The championship came down to the two top-ranked women’s players in the world.
On Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, located within the expansive USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, Elena Rybakina, a native of Russia who represents Kazakhstan, won the title by defeating two-time defending tournament champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, to capture her first U.S. Open Championship and her third overall Grand Slam title.
On Monday, the 27-year-old Rybakina officially ascended to the women’s No. 1 world ranking, unseating the 28-year-old Sabalenka. In an on-court interview after her win, Rybakina praised the former No. 1. “Aryna, you’re a great champion…It’s so difficult to play against you…You push me to such a limit… I was diving on the court and just trying to get all the possible balls. I have no words… I still can’t believe it,” she said.
Two days earlier, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Sabalenka defeated the 32-year-old Pegula in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2. Later that night also on the Arthur Ashe court, Rybakina took down 22-year-old Coco Gauff, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. “I thought it was a good match, and it honestly came down to a couple of service games of mine in both sets, and I didn’t quite hold,” said Gauff.
Americans found success in the women’s doubles final as Taylor Townsend, partnering with Katerina Siniakova of Czechia, topped the American wildcard tandem of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to earn their first U.S. Open championship. With the win, Townsend and Siniakova have won all four Grand Slams, taking Wimbledon in 2024, the 2025 Australian Open, and this year’s French Open.
