The 2026 US Open final is set on the women's side. Fittingly, the two players who have had the most successful seasons will face off, even though they will soon change positions atop the rankings on the WTA Tour. Elena Rybakina will be the new No. 1 on Monday, and Aryna Sabalenka will fall to No. 2.
That is the case no matter what happens in the final, mind you. Rybakina's reign at No. 1 might not last too long, however. Many players are creeping closer to the top.
Sabalenka and Rybakina reached the final the hard way. Sabalenka, the two-time champion at the New York major and three-time finalist, had to get through a mentally tough third seed, Jessica Pegula, and did so in straight sets. The Belarusian is in the kind of form to win her third straight US Open title. She might be extra motivated to do so, too.
Predicting who will win the US Open women's final (and how to watch)
She said during the tournament that she would be fine with Rybakina gaining the No. 1 ranking as long as Sabalenka won the major. After all, Sabalenka can always get the ranking back, but if she loses the 2026 final, she can't make up for that.
Rybakina had to defeat Coco Gauff, a former US Open winner and possibly the best athlete on tour. Gauff fell in three sets.
Elena Rybakina hasn't won the US Open in her career, and hadn't made it past the fourth round until this year. She obviously can win a Grand Slam, however, as she has done so twice (2022 Wimbledon and 2026 Australian Open). She will know, going into the final, the kind of mentality she needs to have when tested by the power of Sabalenka and to keep her poise.
Of course, the Kazakhstani is one of the few players in tennis who can match the Belarusian's power, and potentially be one tick better. The two greats also know each other well, having met 17 times previously. Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 10-7. No player has won more than two straight times in the rivalry since Sabalenka did that at the Australian Open in 2023.
The match takes place on Saturday, September 12, and will start no earlier than 4 pm ET. Arthur Ashe Stadium will be the place where the must-see match is played.
So who will win? Both are extremely capable, but Aryna Sabalenka simply doesn't lose in New York anymore. She let Elena Rybakina take her top ranking, but she won't let her take her US Open crown. Sabalenka will win in three sets and earn a cool $5.5 million (the runner-up will get $2.8 million).
US Open 2026: How to watch/stream
- United States: ESPN
- United Kingdom: Sky Sports
- Canada: RDS
- Australia: Nine and Stan Sport
- France: Eurosport France
- Italy: Sky Sport Italia
- India: JioHotstar
- Spain: Telefonica/Movistar
- Mexico, Caribbean, and most of South America: ESPN
- Brazil: sporttv
- China: CCTV and Migu TV
- Japan: WOWOW
- Sub-Saharan Africa: SuperSport
Of note, the men's final on Sunday will be shown on ABC in the United States, one of the four main networks. Interestingly, the women's final is not on that channel. For your location, you can click here for all the official broadcast partners of the US Open.
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