Rybakina Outlasts Sabalenka in Three Sets to Claim the US Open as Zverev and Shelton Prepare for the Men's Final

The women's US Open ended the way the tournament had threatened to all fortnight: with two of the biggest hitters in the game trading control of the baseline until one of them stopped blinking. Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2, a scoreline that tells the story of the match almost on its own. Rybakina took the opening set with the cleaner margins, lost the second when Sabalenka found the stretch of first serves she had been hunting, and then re-established order in the decider, running away with it 6-2 once the rallies shortened again.

It is the kind of final that rewards the player who can absorb a swing of momentum without changing her method, and Rybakina did not. Sabalenka, for her part, leaves New York having pushed the match to a third set from a set down — no small thing in a hard-court final of this scale — but the last twenty minutes belonged decisively to her opponent.

Elsewhere on the women's side, Claire Liu completed a similarly jagged afternoon at the Barranquilla Challenger, beating Anna Blinkova 6-0 2-6 7-5. A 6-0 opening set gave way to a near-total reversal, and Liu had to win the third from level terms to take the title. On the European clay, Fiona Ferro dismissed Dalma Galfi 6-1 2-6 6-0 in the Montreux semifinals and will meet Noma Noha Akugue, a 7-6 6-3 winner over Maristany G., in a final between players separated by only four ranking places — Noha Akugue at No. 137, Ferro at No. 141. In Antalya, Alevtina Ibragimova recovered from a set down to beat Alicia Herrero Linana 4-6 6-2 6-3 and will face Rositsa Dencheva for the title.

The men's Challenger semifinals produced two full-distance contests on clay. In Genova, Thiago Seyboth Wild came through Matej Dodig 7-5 4-6 6-2 and Pedro Martinez recovered from a set down to edge Laslo Djere 2-6 6-4 7-5; the pair meet for the trophy. In Seville, Facundo Diaz Acosta survived Jaume Munar 4-6 6-3 7-6 and will play Dusan Lajovic, who advanced when Max Alcala Gurri was unable to continue at 6-3 3-0.

The centrepiece of the coming day is the men's US Open final between Alexander Zverev, the No. 2, and Ben Shelton, ranked No. 9. It is a contrast of profiles as much as rankings: Zverev's game is built on depth, court position and the ability to hold serve indefinitely, while Shelton's rests on first-strike tennis — the left-handed delivery and the forehand that follows it. On a quick New York hard court, the question is whether Zverev can force enough second serves to turn the match into the extended exchanges he prefers, or whether Shelton can keep the points short enough that the rallies never begin.

Guadalajara's WTA 1000 then takes over as the tour's main stage. Qualifying produced a strong group of survivors — Caroline Dolehide beat Mingge Xu 6-0 6-4, Sara Sorribes Tormo saw off Ena Koike 7-5 6-2, and Nadiya Kichenok edged Melichar-Martinez N. 6-3 4-6 7-6 — with Iryna Shymanovich against Lea Ma among the remaining ties. In the main draw, Peyton Stearns (No. 55) meets home favourite Emiliana Arango (No. 88), Alycia Parks faces Mayar Sherif, Darja Vidmanova plays Janice Tjen, and Panna Udvardy takes on the unranked Lois Boisson.