Elena Rybakina beats Aryna Sabalenka to win US Open for first time

So congratulations to Rybakina, who played a superb match, maintaining her focus to get over the line having secured the world No 1 ranking for the first time a few days ago, and maintaining her composure to play a near-perfect third set against Sabalenka after losing the second. Rybakina just didn’t let Sabalenka settle, pushing the departing No 1 back with her power – and it’s not often we say that. I don’t think it was nerves from Sabalenka, I think Rybakina was just too good. When Rybakina’s playing at her peak, no one can live with her right now on a hard court, so it’s back to the drawing board for Sabalenka, as she reflects on a first season since 2022 without a slam title and how she can come back stronger. After all, that’s what rivalries are all about, pushing each other to continually improve. Many thanks for reading today and do join us again tomorrow for Alexander Zverev v Ben Shelton. Bye!