US Open women’s final: Elena Rybakina wins to deny Aryna Sabalenka three-peat

Elena Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a third consecutive US Open title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 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 2014 to win three or more consecutive US Open titles, but was plagued by a flurry of unforced errors, committing 35 of them.

The final was a rematch of the Australian Open in January, which Rybakina won to deny Sabalenka's chance of a three-peat at the first Grand Slam of the year. But Sabalenka got her revenge and beat Rybakina in the Indian Wells final and in the Miami semifinals.

It was also their 15th time playing on a hard court, with Rybakina taking an 8-7 lead in those meetings.

Rybakina got only 27% of her first serves in, but found the sweet spots on the court, where it was easy for Sabalenka to make mistakes.

After double-faulting to hand Rybakina the fifth game of the set, Sabalenka’s emotions got the best of her, and she hit the ball high in the stands, where it was caught…

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