US Open 2026 recap: Alexander Zverev doubles up, Elena Rybakina ends Aryna Sabalenka's reign

In September, Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina won the singles titles at the US Open. Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka in the women's final on Saturday 12 September, and Zverev beat Ben Shelton the following afternoon to claim his second major of the season.

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Alexander Zverev vs. Ben Shelton Condensed Match | 2026 US Open Final — US Open Tennis Championships · YouTube, plays on click

A draw without the world No. 1

The men's event was reshaped before a ball was struck. On 21 August, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury, the first major he had missed since his Grand Slam debut in 2019. Zverev, the Roland Garros champion, took over as top seed, while Carlos Alcaraz returned from the wrist injury that had kept him out since the spring, as defending champion.

Alcaraz's comeback ended in the quarter-finals, where Shelton beat him in a five-set match that finished at 3:33 a.m. local time. The American then beat Frances Tiafoe in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam final.

Zverev too steady for Shelton

The final lasted three hours and 33 minutes. Shelton double-faulted twice on break points in the opening set, and Zverev raced through the second-set tie-break after building a 5-0 lead. The left-hander fought back to take the third set 7-5 after a loose 12th game from the German, but Zverev broke at the start of the fourth and won 12 of the last 14 points to close it out 6-3 7-6(2) 5-7 6-2.

According to the ATP, Zverev became only the fourth man in the Open Era to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season. The defeat extended the wait for an American men's major champion, with Andy Roddick in 2003 still the last. Zverev offered Shelton encouragement on court: "you're going to be back here many, many more times," he said, as reported by the ATP. Shelton still rose to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings.

Rybakina stops the three-peat

Sabalenka arrived as the two-time defending champion and had not lost at Flushing Meadows since the 2023 final. She survived a tight quarter-final against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(7), and then beat Jessica Pegula. Rybakina came through a semi-final against Coco Gauff from a set down, 3-6 6-4 6-4.

In the final, Rybakina controlled the first set and saved two set points in the second before Sabalenka levelled. The Kazakh then broke early in the decider and again at 5-2, conceding only three points on serve in the third set according to CBS Sports. "It's so difficult to play Aryna, she pushes you to your limits," Rybakina said, in comments reported by CBS Sports.

It was her third major after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in January, where she had also beaten Sabalenka in the final.

What it meant for the season

New York settled the two biggest season-long questions. Rybakina's run guaranteed her the WTA No. 1 ranking, ending Sabalenka's 99 consecutive weeks at the top, and made her the only woman with two majors in 2026. Zverev's title, after a Wimbledon final in July, gave him a 25-2 record at the majors this year and moved him ahead of Sinner in the Race to Turin.

Since then, Zverev's position has only strengthened. With Sinner ruling himself out for the rest of the year, the ATP confirmed on 12 October that the German had clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking, the first German man to do so. He called it "a dream come true", according to the ATP.