Rybakina beats Sabalenka to win the US Open title and punctuate her rise to No. 1

NEW YORK (AP) — Elena Rybakina won her first U.S. Open title and punctuated her climb to the top of women’s tennis by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Saturday. Rybakina had already been guaranteed to replace Sabalenka at No. 1 in the rankings next week and for good measure took the U.S. Open title that Sabalenka had won the previous two years. “It’s tough to find words right now, honestly,” Rybakina said. “I don’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament. I’ve been dealing with a little bit with an injury, but somehow everything aligned together on my side.” It was the third Grand Slam title for Rybakina and the second this year — both against Sabalenka on hard courts. She opened the season by beating Sabalenka for the Australian Open title. This time, she stopped Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at the U.S.