Aryna Sabalenka went into the US Open final on 12 September 2026 chasing a third straight title in New York. Only Chris Evert and Serena Williams had managed that. Elena Rybakina beat her 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and two days later replaced her as world No. 1. For fans who follow sports betting with Premier Bet, no match-up on the women's tour now carries more weight.

Two Grand Slam finals in one season

The pair also met in the Australian Open final in January, a rematch of the 2023 final that Sabalenka won. This time Sabalenka led 3-0 in the deciding set, then lost six of the last seven games. Rybakina won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and finished the match with an ace.

Sabalenka then beat Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in the Indian Wells final in March, then won their Miami Open semi-final 6-4, 6-3. Rybakina had the final word in New York.

The head-to-head record

The two have met 18 times since the 2019 Wuhan Open. Sabalenka leads 10-8 and won the first three meetings, but Rybakina has won four of their last seven.

The record changes with the surface and the round:

• Hard courts: Rybakina leads 8-7.
• Grass and clay: Sabalenka has won all three meetings.
• Finals: Rybakina leads 5-2.
• Grand Slams: level at 2-2.

Finals are where Rybakina has had the edge. Her wins include the 2023 Indian Wells final, 7-6(11), 6-4, and the 2024 Brisbane final, 6-0, 6-3.

Why so many of their matches go the distance

Both players build their game on the serve, and the first big forehand or backhand after it, so matches between them tend to turn on a few return games. The scorelines show it. Of their 18 matches, 11 have gone to a third set, and three of those finished in a final-set tiebreak.

Their 2025 quarter-final in Berlin lasted two hours and 42 minutes, the longest of the rivalry. Sabalenka saved a match point before winning the final-set tiebreak 8-6.

Rybakina's serve has been the difference in 2026. The WTA says she leads the tour with more than 350 aces this season.

The ranking

Rybakina became world No. 1 on 14 September 2026. The WTA says she is the 30th woman to hold the top ranking and the first player from Kazakhstan, man or woman, to reach it. She is 27.

Her rise ended a run at No. 1 that Sabalenka had held since October 2024. At the time of writing, Rybakina has 9,901 points and Sabalenka 7,875. That 2,026-point gap is larger than the one between Sabalenka and fourth-placed Coco Gauff.

Not the only winners this year

The rivalry has limits. Neither player reached the Roland Garros or Wimbledon final. Mirra Andreeva won in Paris, and Linda Noskova won at Wimbledon, and both were first major titles.

Between them, they have won six of the eight hard-court majors played since the start of 2023. Sabalenka has won four majors: the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024 and the US Open in 2024 and 2025. Rybakina now has three, adding Melbourne and New York this year to her 2022 Wimbledon title.

What comes next

The WTA Finals in November are the next event where they could meet. Rybakina goes in as defending champion after an unbeaten week in Riyadh in 2025, which ended with a 6-3, 7-6(0) win over Sabalenka in the final.