Elena Rybakina wins US Open, denying Aryna Sabalenka three-peat

NEW YORK — In a battle between the top two ranked players in women's tennis, Elena Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a third straight US Open title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory in the final, cementing her status as the newly crowned No. 1-ranked player in the world.

Sabalenka was attempting to become the third woman in the Open Era, and the first since Serena Williams in 2012-2014, to win three or more consecutive US Open titles, but was plagued by a flurry of unforced errors, committing 14 of her 35 in the first set alone.

The final was a rematch of the Australian Open final in January, which Rybakina won, but Sabalenka beat the No. 2 in the Indian Wells final and in the Miami semifinals. This was their 15th time playing on a hard court, with Rybakina now taking an 8-7 lead in those meetings.

Rybakina got only 27% of her first serves in winning the first set, but found the sweet spots on the court, where it was easy for Sabalenka to make mistakes. After Sabalenka played perhaps her best stretch of tennis by putting Jessica Pegula away in the semifinals, old habits started to…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/travel/