Elena Rybakina puts exclamation mark on No. 1 ranking with US Open title

 

The champion under the lights 📷 https://t.co/Ev39p5dhxJ

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 13, 2026

In the US Open women's singles final, Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in a resounding victory. Rybakina won the Australian Open at the beginning of the season, making it two grand slam titles for her in 2026. Win or lose against Sabalenka, Rybakina was going to claim the world No. 1 spot, but by defeating Sabalenka, she sends a clear message that this year, she has been the best player on the WTA Tour. 

Rybakina outplayed Sabalenka pretty thoroughly. She had 12 break point opportunities and converted three of those chances while Sabalenka had just three break point opportunities, only winning one of those chances. In terms of winning percentage on first serve, Rybakina had an advantage of 85%-69% and on winning percentage on second serve, she had an advantage of 66%-54%. Rybakina also was +6 in service aces (12-6). Just across the board, it was a dominant win for Rybakina. 

What makes these two grand slam titles so impressive for Rybakina is the fact that Sabalenka has widely been considered the best hard court player in the women's game. By winning both hard court grand slams this year, Rybakina is also sending a message that she's not only the best in the world, but also the best in the world on the hard courts. 

In addition to winning on hard court, Rybakina also has gone the distance on grass, winning Wimbledon in 2022 while also reaching the semifinals in 2024. She's shown she can contend on grass. It's just matter of figuring out clay. She has a pair of trips to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2021 and 2024, so she's knocked on the door a couple of times, but no cigar. The fact that she is one slam away from a career slam is mighty impressive. If she can lift the trophy at Roland Garros, she'll enter a whole other stratosphere. 

Overall, Elena Rybakina should feel great about how the US Open went and also how her 2026 season has gone. At 27 years of age, she had her best season yet and appears to only be getting started. I look forward to seeing how the rest of the season goes for her and what kind of momentum she takes with her in January when the Australian Open rolls around. 

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10 things to look for at the 2026 US Open

With the 2026 US Open already underway, it is time for me to write my 10 things to look for. Click here for the men's draw and click here for the women's draw. Ok, let's dive in!  

#1.  Can Aryna Sabalenka complete a three-peat? Aryna Sabalenka comes in as the number one player in the world in the women's draw, gunning for her third straight US Open title. A three-peat is not an easy feat at any grand slam. Especially one as grueling as the US Open. She's certainly the odds on favorite and should be feeling good about her chances. Especially since hard court is her best surface. 

#2. Can Carlos Alcaraz win his third US Open? Back from injury, number two seed Carlos Alcaraz is looking to win his third US Open and in the process defend his title. Given he was absent from the French Open and Wimbledon this year due to a wrist injury, it feels like it's been a while since we saw him compete. It's hard to know how well he'll be able to play in New York. Assuming he's feeling great, I don't see why we should pick against him. He won the Australian Open earlier this year and is the defending US Open champion. Hard court is his jam. On top of that, Jannik Sinner is not playing due to injury. 

#3. Can Elena Rybakina win her second hard court grand slam? Elena Rybakina comes in as the number two seed, having won the Australian Open earlier this year. She won Wimbledon back in 2022, so she's going for her third grand slam title overall and second on the hard courts. She came up short in Cincinnati in her most recent hard court tournament, losing to Iga Swiatek 4-1 via walkover in the quarterfinals, so it's hard to know how big of a worry that should be. Regardless, Rybakina absolutely should be seen as a serious contender given how things went for her at the Australian Open. 

#4. Can Felix Auger-Aliassime reach his first grand slam semifinal? Felix Auger-Aliassime comes in as the number three seed and yet he's never reached the semifinal of a grand slam. He has a chance to change that this year given he has a top four seed. On paper, he should be a semifinalist this year due to Sinner being out and Novak Djokovic getting eliminated in the first round, but every year he runs out of steam in the quarterfinals. Will this be the year he finally breaks through? It will be fun to find out. 

#5. Can Marta Kostyuk build on her French Open and Wimbledon success? Marta Kostyuk comes in as the No. 11 seed after reaching the semifinals at the French Open and Wimbledon. She's had a fantastic summer and should look to build on that at the US Open. Last year, she reached the 4th round at the US Open, so she's shown she can compete at this event and now that she's been to back-to-back grand slam semifinals, she should be feeling confident. I'm excited to see what she does. 

#6.  Can Alexander Zverev take advantage of Jannik Sinner's absence? Alexander Zverev is the number one seed on the men's side as a result of Jannik Sinner being out. With Alcaraz potentially rusty due to missing the last two grand slams, and Djokovic losing in the first round, the stars really could be aligning for Zverev to win his first US Open and second grand slam (2026 French Open). The US Open historically has more withdrawals given how beaten up guys tend to be at this time of the season. If there's a guy who should be looking to pounce on this chance, it's definitely Zverev. 

#7. Can Naomi Osaka build on her strong Wimbledon? Naomi Osaka comes in as the No. 13 seed in the tournament, having reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier this summer. Osaka certainly seems to be finding her groove again and she has won the US Open and Australian Open twice, making hard court her best surface. If she could make a deep run, that would be awesome for the sport. Especially given how much the New York crowd likes her. 

#8. Can Alex de Minaur reach his first grand slam semifinal?  Just like Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur keeps hitting a wall in the quarterfinals of a grand slam. As I've mentioned, with Djokovic eliminated and Sinner out due to injury, someone has to take advantage of the waters parting. Alex de Minaur is a guy who absolutely has a chance to be one of those guys. He's the No. 6 seed and has plenty of grand slam experience. He just has to go out and make the most of this opportunity. 

#9. Can Linda Noskova build on her Wimbledon title? Linda Noskova is the No. 6 seed and is coming off an amazing two weeks at Wimbledon in which she went the distance to win her first grand slam. Winning on grass and hard court are different animals and it's always tough to follow up your first grand slam with a second grand slam in the next slam. Especially when you factor in a surface change. Still, Noskova has to take a lot of confidence from what she did at Wimbledon. I look forward to seeing how she does in New York. 

#10. Can Taylor Fritz break through to win his grand slam? Taylor Fritz is the No. 9 seed and the top ranked American man. The New York crowd will certainly be cheering him on. He reached the final back in 2024, so he's shown an ability to find success at the US Open. The last American man to win a grand slam was Andy Roddick in 2003 at the US Open.  Fritz has a chance to break that spell. Especially with the way the draw has been shaking out. If he could go the distance, that would be awesome for American tennis. 

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10 takeaways from 2026 Wimbledon

               (Jannik Sinner & Linda Noskova with their championship trophies. Credit: Wimbledon.com) 

Alrighty, I'm long overdue to get my 10 takeaways from Wimbledon in, but here we go! 

#1. Jannik Sinner is figuring out the grass: Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in the gentlemen's final 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. Sinner has now won Wimbledon back-to-back times, showing that he has command of the grass. The clay of the French Open continues to be a work in progress for him, but he's at least showing he has what it takes to win on the grass. Even without Carlos Alcaraz, this was still an impressive run for Sinner.  It'll be fun to see how many more Wimbledon titles he racks up as his career goes on. 

#2. Linda Noskova is a grand slam champion: Linda Noskova defeated Karolina Muchova in the ladies' singles final 6-2, 5-7, 6-3. Noskova really came out of left field in this one as the furthest she'd gone at a grand slam going into Wimbledon was the quarterfinals at the 2024 Australian Open. A big thing to look for is whether or not Noskova is a one-hit wonder or if she has more grand slam titles in her future. At just 21 years of age, I lean towards her winning more before her career ends. She's got plenty of tennis in front of her. 

#3. Alexander Zverev has a career best at Wimbledon: While he came up short in the final, it was still the best Wimbledon performance of Alexander Zverev's career. He's had a great season, winning the French Open to win his first career grand slam. With the way he's trending, perhaps a Wimbledon title is also in Zverev's future. 

#4. Karolina Muchova has a career best at Wimbledon: While she came up short in the final, Karolina Muchova can hold her head high knowing she had the best run of her Wimbledon career. And it was the best run of her Wimbledon career by far. She reached the quarterfinals in 2019 and 2021 before having four straight first round exits. She really took her game up a notch on the grass this year. Whether or not this year was an aberration or a sign that she's figured things out on the grass, next year will tell us a lot. 

#5. Arthur Fery had a run for the ages: Arthur Fery had a run for the ages, reaching the semifinals before losing to Alexander Zverev 6-7, 2-6, 4-6. Fery also played for Stanford and on CardinalSportsReport.com, I wrote more about his run. Click here to check that out. It really was an amazing run for him. He came in as a wild card and now doesn't have to worry about qualifying for grand slams for a full calendar year. It'll be interesting to see how he does in his next four grand slam appearances, which includes, Wimbledon 2027. 

#6. Coco Gauff has her best Wimbledon performance: Coco Gauff reached the semifinals, losing to Karolina Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 7-6. Gauff had been to the 4th round three times at Wimbledon (2019, 2021, & 2024), but that was as far as she could go. This year, she made tremendous progress, getting to the semifinals. What is interesting is 2019 was her first ever Wimbledon. The fact that it's taken her so long to get past the 4th round is super interesting. But regardless, she should be feeling good about how this year went as she eyes an eventual Wimbledon title in the future. 

#7. Novak Djokovic still has juice: Novak Djokovic fell to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals 4-6, 4-6, 4-6. While he's no longer the grand slam contender he once was, reaching the semifinals is nothing to sneeze at. As I've written earlier, Djokovic can still play at a high level. The only question is how long does he want to play at a level where he hangs around but comes up a bit short. Only he can answer that question.

#8. Naomi Osaka had a bounce back tournament: Naomi Osaka reached the quarterfinals, losing to Karolina Muchova 6-7, 4-6, putting up a good fight in that match. It was the best performance she's ever had at Wimbledon. It was fun to see her back in the mix at a grand slam. Especially on a surface that hasn't been her strong suit. She seems to be finding a good balance between being a mom and still playing at a high level, which is exciting for the tennis world. 

#9. Jan-Lennard Struff has break through tournament: Jan-Lennard Struff reached the first quarterfinal of his grand slam career, losing to Jannik Sinner 5-7, 6-7, 3-6. At 36 years of age, it's super impressive that Struff had this run to the quarterfinals. He's been to the 4th round at the US Open and French Open before, but at Wimbledon he had never gotten past the 3rd round. On top of reaching the quarterfinals, he also battled Sinner tough in the loss. Struff should be very pleased with how his Wimbledon went. 

#10. Marta Kostyuk is finding her groove: Marta Kostyuk reached the semifinals of Wimbledon right after reaching the semifinals of the French Open. That's back-to-back grand slam semifinal runs. That has to give her a real boost of confidence. It was Linda Noskova, the eventual champion, that defeated her 6-4, 6-4. Kostyuk finds herself just outside the top 10, ranked No. 11 in the world. At just 24 years of age, she's really stepping into her own and finding her groove, which is great to see. 

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10 takeaways from the 2026 French Open

 

                                                (Credit: SportJustSport.com)

At the French Open this year, Mirra Andreeva and Alexander Zverev (pictured above) both won their first career grand slam titles. Below are my ten takeaways from the two weeks that were at Roland Garros this year. Ok, let's dive in! 

#1. Alexander Zverev finally gets over the hump:  Alexander Zverev defeated Flavio Cobolli in the men's singles final 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 to win his first career grand slam title. There had been many questions about whether or not Zverev had what it took to win a grand slam title as he is now 29 years of age. This tournament put those questions to rest. Zverev had a fantastic tournament and didn't fold under pressure in the final. Whether or not he wins more grand slams, he'll forever be a 2026 French Open champion. That in and of itself is a huge deal.  

#2. Mirra Andreeva wins her first grand slam as a teenager: In this modern era of tennis, it's rare to see teenagers win grand slams and yet that's exactly what Mirra Andreeva did when she defeated Maja Chwalinska in the women's singles final 6-3, 6-2. At just 19 years of age, Andreeva proved herself to be the best in the entire tournament, only dropping one set all tournament long. It'll be fun to see what the future has in store for Andreeva. I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see her win a grand slam. 

#3. Flavio Cobolli is dangerous on clay: By reaching the final, Flavio Cobolli showed that he is a threat on the clay. He hasn't gotten past the 3rd round at the Australian Open or US Open, so he's got some work to do on the hard court. Grass he's a bit better with back-to-back trips to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, but clay is clearly his best surface. At just 24 years of age, there's no reason to think Cobolli can't one day go all the way at Roland Garros. 

#4. Maja Chwalinska came out of nowhere to reach the final: Maja Chwalinska came out of nowhere to reach the women's singles final. She really did. She's never gotten past the 1st round at the Australian Open and hasn't gotten past the 2nd round at Wimbledon. As for the US Open, this will be the first year she enters the main draw as she got ranked No. 21 after reaching the French Open final. One big run in a grand slam virtually guarantees entrance into the other slams for a full calendar year. Whether or not this was a one off or if she's the real deal remains to be seen, but given she's only 24 years old, odds are good this won't be the last we see of her. 

#5. Jakub Mensik had a breakthrough tournament:  Jakub Mensik reached his first career grand slam semifinal, losing to Alexander Zverev 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6. The 20 year old from the Czech Republic had been coming on strong, getting ranked as high as No. 12 in the world in March. It really does seem like this is just the beginning for Mensik. His 4th round 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 win over No. 11 Andrey Rublev was super impressive. Mensik should really take a lot of confidence from what he was able to do in Paris. 

#6. Aryna Sabalenka still has work to do on the clay: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka fell in the quarterfinals to Diana Shnaider 6-3, 5-7, 0-6. While she is without a doubt the best hardcourt player in the world, clay remains a work in progress for Sabalenka. She did reach the French Open final in 2025, so she's getting close to breaking through on the dirt, but this year was a reminder that she still has a lot more work to do. 

#7. João Fonseca has a breakthrough tournament, too: 19 year old João Fonseca from Brazil made his first career grand slam quarterfinal, losing to Jakub Mensik 4-6, 3-6, 6-7. While Mensik had a breakthrough tournament of his one, so did Fonseca. There's been a lot of hype surrounding his game. Brad Gilbert has been telling us to keep an eye out for him. This was the first tournament where at a grand slam level, we got to see why. His 4th round 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 win over No. 15 Casper Ruud really sent a message. Definitely more to come from this guy. 

#8. Marta Kostyuk is a budding force: Marta Kostyuk, currently ranked No. 11 in the world, reached her first career grand slam semifinal at the French Open this year. The 24 year old Ukrainian is someone who very well might win a grand slam at the rate she's playing at. At the same time, losing to Andreeva in straight sets was a reminder that she still is in need of more improvement. It'll be fun to see how she does in the future. 

#9. Matteo Arnaldi had a breakthrough run: While he ended up having to withdraw from his semifinal match against Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi still had a fantastic tournament, reaching his first career grand slam semifinal. He's currently ranked No. 35 in the world as a result and truly had the tournament of a lifetime. At 25 years of age, this could be the beginning of something special for him. We'll just have to see what the future holds. But, he should be taking a lot of confidence from the tournament he had in Paris. 

#10. Diana Shnaider had a breakthrough run of her own: 22 year old Diana Shnaider reached her first career grand slam semifinal at the French Open this year. Given how young she is, this was a great tournament for her. She also battled Chwalinska tough in the semifinal, losing 6-7, 4-6, so she could have easily reached the final. It'll be fun to see what she does at Roland Garros next year and also what she does the rest of the season. 

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