The 2026 U.S. Open tennis tournament has come to a close with top-seeded Alexander Zverev defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets on Sunday.
Zverev took his second Grand Slam title of the year, making him the first German man to win the U.S. Open since Boris Becker did it in 1989.
Shelton was hoping to become the first American man in over two decades to win the U.S. Open (since Andy Roddick in 2003) and the first Black American man in over half a century to raise the trophy (since Arthur Ashe in 1968).
That title drought for American men will continue into 2027.
On the women’s side, new world No. 1 Elena Rybakina took down defending champ Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set final (6-4, 5-7, 6-2).
The win marked her first U.S. Open title and her third major overall (2022 Wimbledon Championships and 2026 Australian Open).
Sabalenka was looking to win her third straight U.S. Open title. Serena Williams was the last woman to win three consecutive Open championships (2012-’14).
The U.S. Open often attracts big names, including President Donald Trump, who has made a habit of positioning himself next to major sports events as he faces abysmal poll numbers amid his unpopular Iran war.
A number of political figures were spotted at this year’s tournament, including former first lady Michelle Obama and Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy (R), the latter of whom’s tennis-filled break from the campaign trail was slammed by his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton.
Trump, whose appearance at last year’s men’s final prompted boos in New York, skipped town on Sunday to present golfer Shane Lowry with the Irish Open trophy at his golf course in Doonbeg.
Read our 2026 U.S. Open coverage below:
American Men's Grand Slam Drought Continues In Tennis
NEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - An American men’s Grand Slam drought will stretch into a 24th year, after German Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton in the final of the U.S. Open on Sunday to the bitter disappointment of the home crowd in New York.
Shelton was not even a year old when the last American Grand Slam winner, Andy Roddick, hoisted the U.S. Open trophy in 2003. The golden era of Agassi and Sampras appeared an ever-more distant memory as eighth seed Shelton fell 6-3 7-6(2) 5-7 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I’m sorry it’s the wrong winner this year,” said Zverev. “But I did my job.”
Beating the American men is a job global tennis has performed quite well over the last quarter century.
As the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys collected hardware on the women’s side, the U.S. men have rarely found their way into a championship final.
Roddick reached his last final at Wimbledon in 2009. It took another 15 years for another American man to contend a title match, when Taylor Fritz played Italian Jannik Sinner in New York.
Shelton said he was eager to get another taste of the spotlight on tennis’ biggest stage.
“It’s such a cool moment. Walking out on that court today, there’s nothing like it. I’ve never felt anything like that before. Yeah, it’s an addicting feeling being in positions like this,” he told reporters.
The USTA previously pointed to Fritz’s 2024 campaign as a sign of progress, after announcing a massive overhaul to its player development programme in 2008. Fritz was a product of USTA camps, along with Frances Tiafoe, who reached the semi-finals for a third time this year.
The sport’s national governing body has also moved to diversify its talent in a partnership announced last year with American Tennis Association, focusing on building Black representation in an overwhelmingly white sport.
Shelton made history just by stepping onto the court on Sunday as the first Black American man to play in the New York final in 54 years - since Ashe, the man for whom the tournament’s showpiece court was named.
“I don’t think I’m anywhere near the player that I want to be. I think I’m a great competitor. I think I compete really well out there on the court,” said Shelton.
“I’m able it stay focused and stay there on the court for many, many hours. I think that’s going to help me in the future moving forward.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Neil Fullick)
Tennis Players Move Public Push For More Prize Money, Reform Into New Council
NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Top tennis players said on Monday they would cease to publicly campaign for greater influence and financial benefits from the four Grand Slams, choosing instead to pursue their objectives through a new Player Advisory Council.
Players launched their campaign in March 2025 for a greater voice in Grand Slam decision-making, more player welfare funding and a larger share of tournament revenues, including a proposal for them to receive 22% of tournament revenues as prize money.
The campaign gained momentum this year as players cut short pre-tournament media duties at the French Open and Wimbledon in protest, while the Grand Slams have all increased prize money amid growing pressure from the group.
The players said the agreement on a council and the progress toward their key objectives marked a “significant step” forward.
“The players will now work directly with the Grand Slams to establish the council, through which players themselves will be directly consulted and able to negotiate on an ongoing basis,” the group said in a statement.
The group acknowledged that the Grand Slams had yet to meet players’ target of receiving 22% of tournament revenues by 2030, but said prize money had risen significantly since the campaign began last year.
Prize pots have risen across the majors, with this year’s purses reaching $79.92 million at the Australian Open, $71.56 million at the French Open, $86.79 million at Wimbledon and a record $108 million at the U.S. Open.
The group estimated that more than $30 million of recent prize-money increases across the majors exceeded historical growth trends and welcomed a French Open proposal to link payouts to tournament profits.
Players said they would let the formally established council pursue their outstanding objectives through engagement with the four Grand Slams.
They also welcomed the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam to commit $2 million toward player welfare, saying they hoped the contribution would increase over time and prompt similar proposals from the other three majors.
“This stands as a testament to the gains made possible by concerted, unified player action in an individual sport, and by constructive dialogue with the Grand Slams and tournament organisers,” the statement added.
“The players look to the Council to build on this progress and continue pursuing the aims not yet fully achieved.
“Players reserve the right to restart the campaign should the council fail to deliver on these aims.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Tennis Great's Drop From Top 10 Ends Decades-Old Big 3 Run
George W. Bush was president. The Euro currency had just gone into circulation. Tom Brady was coming off the first of his seven Super Bowl titles. And Ronaldo had just led Brazil to the World Cup trophy.
It’s been nearly a quarter century since no member of the Big Three — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — appeared in the top 10 of the men’s tennis rankings.
With the 39-year-old Djokovic — the last member of the trio still competing — dropping from No. 5 to No. 12 when the latest rankings were released on Monday, it’s the first time since October 2002 that neither him, Federer nor Nadal appear in the first 10 entries of the list.
Federer and Nadal retired in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Federer was 41 when he stopped and Nadal was 38.
Lleyton Hewitt was No. 1 in October 2002 and — in a measure of just how much time has passed — his son, 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, is now a rising professional.
Djokovic was beaten in the first round of the U.S. Open by Mariano Navone 15 days ago.
It was Djokovic’s earliest Grand Slam exit in two decades — dating back to the 2006 Australian Open — and the first time ever that he lost his opener at the U.S. Open.
“I’ve been very proud of all the achievements in the past, but now is now,” Djokovic said after the loss in New York.
Djokovic’s 24 major titles are two more than Nadal’s 22 and four more than Federer’s 20.
Record ranking runs
Federer made his first appearance in the top 10 later in October 2002 and remained there until the end of 2016 – during which time he had a record run of 237 weeks as No. 1.
Nadal entered the top 10 in April of 2005, during his breakout run as an 18-year-old on Europe’s clay courts. The Spaniard remained there for a record 912 consecutive weeks until 2023.
Djokovic was the last of the Big Three to enter the top 10 in 2007. He’s had a record of 428 total weeks at No. 1.
Alcaraz considers taking more breaks
With current top players Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz both missing majors this year due to injury and Alcaraz having said he plans to take more breaks during future seasons, it’s unclear yet if the current generation will have as much staying power as the Big Three.
“I’m proud of the fact that I was able to play from January to November throughout. I never really missed indoor season or Australia or any of the American swings,” Federer said ahead of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame last month.
“I kind of showed up everywhere,” Federer added. “I never really wanted to make it all about the Slams. I remember Pistol (Pete Sampras) talked a lot about how it was Slams only for him toward the end of the career, and I didn’t like the fact that was going to be my case. I liked too many other tournaments and I love the ATP Tour. So from that standpoint, I really tried to keep everything a priority.”
Zverev was the most consistent this year
Already, this year has been quite different from last year in terms of men’s finals at the Grand Slams.
After Sinner and Alcaraz met in three of the four major finals last year, they didn’t meet in any in 2026.
Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury and Sinner withdrew from the U.S. Open because of a right knee injury.
While both Alcaraz (Australian Open) and Sinner (Wimbledon) won majors this year, the most consistent performer on the men’s side was Alexander Zverev, who won the French Open and the U.S. Open, lost in the Wimbledon final and reached the semifinals in Australia.
Still, Zverev wasn’t about to declare himself the best.
“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead,” Zverev said after beating Ben Shelton for the U.S. Open title on Sunday. “It’s as simple as that.”
In the new rankings, Sinner, Zverev and Alcaraz remained 1-2-3, respectively, while U.S. Open finalist Ben Shelton jumped five spots to No. 4.
Rybakina replaces Sabalenka at No. 1
The picture was a bit clearer on the women’s side, where Elena Rybakina won two of the four Grand Slams this year, at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
Rybakina’s run in New York enabled her to climb to No. 1 in the rankings, ending Aryna Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top.
“Her serve is amazing,” Sabalenka said after Rybakina cranked out 12 aces against her in the U.S. Open final. “The way she (is) able to step in and overpower you on court and especially if it’s a U.S. Open court where it’s super fast, definitely huge advantage for her.”
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AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report.
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Zverev Doubles Grand Slam Tally As He Overpowers Shelton To Take U.S. Open Title
NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev won his second major championship and kept American men without a Grand Slam title since 2003, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the U.S. Open final.
Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year’s French Open and followed up by adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip away in 2020.
The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton’s shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back Shelton’s comeback attempt in front of a crowd that desperately cheered him on.
Ben Shelton Aims To End Decades-Old Drought At The U.S. Open
NEW YORK (AP) — Ben Shelton was not even a year old the last time an American man won a Grand Slam tennis title.
Now 23, Shelton is in the same position Alexander Zverev once was, playing for his first major championship in the U.S. Open final. When Zverev lost that night — after he was so painfully close to winning — it took six more years before he finally broke through.
American tennis fans don’t want to wait any longer.
Shelton can end his country’s drought and win the first Grand Slam title by an American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 if he beats the top-seeded Zverev on Sunday.
Shelton is 0-5 against Zverev, winning just one set. But the No. 8 seed said he has never been more confident in his tennis, and he already took out the defending champion when he beat Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
Should he beat Zverev, he would become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975.
But Zverev, after a slow start to his first Grand Slam tournament as the No. 1 seed, has saved his best tennis for the late stages of the event. Forced to play five-setters in each of the first two rounds, he hasn’t dropped a set since.
The German won the French Open in June and bids to become the first player to win his first two major titles in the same year since Jannik Sinner in 2024. He hoped the initial title would come at the U.S. Open — and still can’t believe it didn’t — but he blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in 2020, becoming the first man to do that in the U.S. Open final since 1949.
Zverev also reached the Wimbledon final and is 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this year.
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These 2 Tennis Players Just Made LGBTQ History Thousands Of Miles From The U.S. Open
The first professional men’s tennis match between two openly gay players took place in Austria on Sunday, The Gay Tennis Pod highlighted in a post on X over the weekend.
Switzerland’s Mika Brunold faced Brazil’s João Lucas Reis da Silva in the final of the Tulln Challenger, defeating him in two sets (6-4, 6-3).
The first? Reis da Silva.
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U.S. Open Officials Found A Shiny Way To Keep Trump Company At 2025 Final: Report
U.S. Open officials kept President Donald Trump company at last year’s men’s final by swapping out the winner’s trophy — which sat on a table by him — with a replacement “shiny object” ahead of the trophy presentation, tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg reported in his Substack page, Bounces, over the weekend.
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'Everything Is Different': Zverev Goes From 'Pointless' Start To U.S. Open Final
NEW YORK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Alexander Zverev went from wondering whether his U.S. Open campaign was “pointless” to preparing for a second final at Flushing Meadows on Friday, as his dramatic turnaround had given him a chance to win a second Grand Slam title.
The German had been pushed to dramatic five sets in each of his first two rounds but has since won four consecutive matches without dropping a set, putting himself one victory away from a second major title after a 6-3 7-6(7) 7-6(6) win over Karen Khachanov.
“I really started off the tournament, and I was like, ‘Well, this is pointless because I’m not going to do anything here,’ and here I am sitting and preparing for a Sunday final,” Zverev told reporters.
The turnaround marks a stark contrast with his first U.S. Open final in 2020, when Zverev also struggled for consistency but still came within two points of beating Dominic Thiem for his maiden Grand Slam title.
“I didn’t play well that entire tournament. That never changed, funny enough, and I made it to the final, and I was two points away from winning,” Zverev said.
Six years on, the top seed said he was a different player, having gained experience through a string of major finals and, crucially, finally winning his long-awaited Grand Slam crown at this year’s Roland Garros.
“I was inexperienced. I was still a young guy,” he said of 2020. “Everything is different.”
Zverev will now face an American in a sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium, either Frances Tiafoe or Ben Shelton.
The setting could hardly be more different from 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the U.S. Open to be played without spectators and Zverev’s loss unfolded inside an eerily empty Ashe.
Rather than fearing a partisan crowd, Zverev said he was looking forward to it.
“I think it’s going to be a fantastic feeling playing, you know, a final in a sold-out Arthur Ashe and not in an empty one,” he said. “For me, a loud and energetic crowd is always great, as long as they’re fair.”
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Kim Coghill)
'Put It All On The Line': Shelton Relishing Challenge Of U.S. Open Final Against Zverev
NEW YORK, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Ben Shelton said he was thriving in unfamiliar territory after reaching his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, with the American crediting a newfound consistency for his breakthrough run in New York.
Shelton beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6 6-3 6-3 7-5 on Friday to book a final with German top seed Alexander Zverev and move closer to ending a 23-year American wait for a men’s singles Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s triumph in New York.
The 23-year-old will also aim to become the first Black American man to capture the New York title since Arthur Ashe in 1968, but knows he must earn a first victory over Zverev in their sixth meeting.
“This whole tournament at this point has been unchartered territory,” Shelton told reporters. “I’m in positions I’ve never been in before. I’ve beaten guys that I’ve never beaten before. I’m just excited to put it all out on the line.
“I can think about how cool this moment is and what I’m playing for. At the end of the day, I’m here in New York, I’m hanging out with my team, I’m with my homies playing a little bit of tennis and I’ve been able to downplay the moment well.
“I’ve got great people around me that keep me grounded and focused and humble, and I think these moments I want to cherish, I don’t want to take lightly. But at the same time, it’s very business-like the way I’ve been going about it.”
While Shelton acknowledged the nerves that come with the biggest match of his career, he said the chance to test himself against the top seed on the sport’s grandest stages on Sunday was something he was embracing.
“The nerves are always there,” he added.
“It’s something that you’ve got to lean into. The nerves are as much there in the first round for me as in the semis, and I’m sure the finals will be the same.
“It’s something you’ve got to be able to overcome, but I’m having fun, you know? I’m playing against the number one seed, playing against a Grand Slam champion trying to get my first.
“It’s a lot of reasons that this is an enjoyable moment for me. Knowing I can leave it all on court and push myself to the absolute limit ... and see what I can do is an exciting thought.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
'Everything Aligned': Rybakina Battles Past Injury, Defeats Former Champs On Way To U.S. Open Title
NEW YORK, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The stars aligned in Elena Rybakina’s favor for a U.S. Open triumph the Kazakh never expected on Saturday, as she leaves New York the champion and new world number one despite an injury that nearly derailed her campaign.
Rybakina beat the twice defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the trophy little more than three weeks after an ankle injury that forced her out of the Cincinnati tune-up tournament, raising serious questions over whether she would even compete in New York.
“I was so upset. I didn’t know actually how it’s going to be day by day. We arrive in New York. We did MRI. It didn’t look that great. We had to talk with a lot of doctors to get opinions (on) what we should do,” she said.
“For seven days I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there spending, a lot of recovery, treatments.”
Fears over her fitness slowly melted away through a series of comprehensive victories, as she beat twice winner Naomi Osaka to get past the fourth round for the first time and overcame the 2023 champion Coco Gauff in the semi-final.
And she marched confidently into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, having already assured an end to Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top of the rankings.
“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly. I didn’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament,” said Rybakina, after collecting her third major title and second of the season. “Somehow everything aligned together.”
The win marks the latest chapter in a prolific rivalry, the 18th meeting between the two players in a compelling cat-and-mouse saga.
Rybakina beat Sabalenka in the title match at the 2025 WTA Finals, before besting the Belarusian in the Australian Open final little more than two months later.
Sabalenka took the momentum back - for a handful of weeks, at least - as she beat the Kazakh in the Indian Wells final and in the penultimate stage in Miami.
“I don’t know what future will bring, but it’s always very difficult matches against Aryna, and I feel like we push each other to be better after such tough battles,” she told reporters.
“I feel like not only with her, with also other players, top players. You always want to try something new, to change in your game, to be better.
“I don’t know what future is going to bring, but I hope success and some more wins.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell and Kim Coghill)
'Really Tough To Control': Sabalenka Feels Weight Of Three-Peat After U.S. Open Defeat
NEW YORK, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Aryna Sabalenka’s bid for a third straight U.S. Open title ended in a 6-4 5-7 6-2 defeat by Elena Rybakina on Saturday, with the Belarusian saying the pressure of chasing a hat-trick of titles in New York made it especially difficult to keep her emotions in check.
While Rybakina maintained her trademark composure through the tense final, Sabalenka twice let her frustration spill over, firing a ball into the crowd and later breaking her racket as the match slipped away.
“It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for three-peat,” Sabalenka told reporters.
“I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside. I wouldn’t be able to say a word. I would just go not really nice over there.”
Rybakina’s composure proved a sharp contrast as she absorbed Sabalenka’s heavy hitting before stepping forward to dictate, eventually pulling away in the deciding set to win her third Grand Slam title and first at Flushing Meadows.
“She played really aggressive, great tennis. She was simply a better player today than me,” Sabalenka said of her opponent.
Rybakina had already dethroned her from the top of the rankings before the final, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at world number one.
“Let’s see if Elena can beat me in that,” Sabalenka said with a laugh. “She continue to play like that, then yeah, I’m in trouble.”
Sabalenka also missed the chance to reward the crowd that had rallied behind her. Having faced an American opponent in each of her previous three U.S. Open finals, she at last found Arthur Ashe Stadium firmly behind her.
“I felt like, ‘Oh, my God, I feel American over there’,” she said. “I just wish I could win it and feel the support even more. Yeah, not this year.”
The defeat also ended Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and denied her the chance to join Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only women in the professional era to win three straight U.S. Open titles.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Elena Rybakina Beats Aryna Sabalenka To Win The U.S. Open Title And Punctuate Her Rise To No. 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Elena Rybakina won her first U.S. Open title and punctuated her climb to the top of women’s tennis by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Saturday.
Rybakina had already been guaranteed to replace Sabalenka at No. 1 in the rankings next week and for good measure took the U.S. Open title that Sabalenka had won the previous two years.
It was the third Grand Slam title for Rybakina and the second this year — both against Sabalenka on hard courts. She opened the season by beating Sabalenka for the Australian Open title.
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This NBA Champ Is Courtside At The U.S. Open — But Not For The Reason You Think
New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet was spotted sitting courtside right by the net in the Big Apple, but for a totally different reason than his NBA career.
Shamet, who helped bring his team a long-awaited title back in June, is taking shots of tennis stars as a credentialed photographer at this year’s U.S. Open, the New York Post reported Tuesday.
On Tuesday, he was seen in the photo pit during Jessica Pegula’s win in the quarterfinals over Emma Navarro at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Shamet previously worked an unpaid photography gig for the U.S. Tennis Association, the tournament’s organizer. In 2024, he covered the first week of the Grand Slam tournament before he was asked to return to capture the women’s and men’s finals last year, The Associated Press reports.
Shamet — who has taken a special interest in photography, much like other athletes whose proximity to sports led to careers in the field — told the AP last year that he can’t “foresee a day” where he puts his camera down since he first picked it up.
“Even when we go on the road, I always have a camera with me, just to have,” said Shamet, who took snaps during the Knicks’ championship parade in June.
“So whether it’s just like as a hobby, walking around, shooting stuff that I like to maybe print out and put on the wall in my house or doing things like this, it’ll always be there.”
'IDGAF If You Don't Like Me': Naomi Osaka Claps Back At Critics Of Her Fashion Game
Naomi Osaka on Tuesday served up a response to people criticizing her fashion game at this year’s U.S. Open.
“You know… idgaf if you don’t like me,” wrote the women’s tennis superstar in a post to her Threads account.
“I don’t mind being the first to do something and getting trashed for it.”
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These 4 Women's Tennis Stars Just Pulled Off Something Historic At The U.S. Open
NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka will bid to move one step closer to a third straight U.S. Open title when she faces familiar foe Jessica Pegula in Thursday’s semi-finals, while Elena Rybakina will take on home favorite Coco Gauff in the other last-four clash.
For the first time since Wimbledon in 2009, all four top seeds at a Grand Slam have reached the semifinals, with Sabalenka, Rybakina and Gauff all former major champions and third seed Pegula seeking a maiden Grand Slam title.
Sabalenka has reached the U.S. Open semi-finals for a sixth consecutive year and is now two wins away from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014 to win three straight titles in New York.
The Belarusian had not dropped a set before surviving her toughest test of the tournament on Tuesday, edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(10-7).
The 28-year-old will face a familiar opponent in third seed Pegula, with their rivalry returning to Flushing Meadows for a third straight year after Sabalenka denied the American the title in 2024 and then beat her again in last year’s semi-finals.
Sabalenka leads their head-to-head 9-4 but Pegula has won two of their last three encounters, including a victory in the Berlin Open semi-finals earlier this year in which she took the deciding set 6-0.
“I think it’s fun to look at the rivalry we’ve had. She’s gotten me here the last couple of years,” Pegula said. “I have been able to beat her a few times, maybe on a smaller stage, so I think that’s going to be kind of a hurdle for me to get over.”
Pegula advanced by fighting back to beat fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3, reaching her second major semi-final this year after the Australian Open.
The 32-year-old has also reached five finals this season, the most on the WTA Tour.
Sabalenka will enter Thursday’s semi-final after surrendering top spot in the world rankings, which Rybakina secured with her quarter-final victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday.
The Australian Open winner will become the 30th woman to top the WTA rankings and the first from Kazakhstan to reach world number one when the new rankings are released after the tournament.
Sabalenka, who had held the top spot since October 2024, said she would gladly trade it for another U.S. Open title.
“I’ll be more than happy,” she said. “Yes, three-peat. Sounds great.”
HOME FAVORITE FACES NEW WORLD NUMBER ONE
Rybakina’s reward for reaching the semi-finals for the first time in New York is a meeting with fan-favorite Gauff, who produced a stunning comeback to beat fifth seed and fellow French Open winner Mirra Andreeva 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2.
The 2023 U.S. Open champion was on the brink of defeat in the second set before saving two match points and turning the match around.
Gauff’s victory put her into the semi-finals at a second straight Grand Slam after her run to the last four at Wimbledon, and she will have the home crowd behind her as she bids to clinch a second U.S. Open title.
Rybakina will bid for a third Grand Slam title, while Gauff will have revenge on her mind after the Kazakh beat her in three sets in last month’s Canadian Open semi-finals. The pair are tied 1-1 in their previous meetings and will face off for a place in Saturday’s final.
U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON THURSDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (7:00 p.m. ET)
No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v. No. 3 Jessica Pegula (U.S.)
No. 4 Coco Gauff (U.S.) v. No. 2 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
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(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
Top-Seeded Zverev Sails Into U.S. Open Semis
NEW YORK (AP) — Alexander Zverev’s rocky road to start the U.S. Open turned into smooth sailing to the semifinals.
The No. 1 seed beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday night, putting him into the final four of every Grand Slam tournament this season.
The French Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up will play Friday against Karen Khachanov, while Americans Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe meet in the other semifinal.
Zverev became the first men’s No. 1 seed to play five-set matches in each of the first two rounds of a major in the Open era, which began in 1968. But he won his last three matches in straight sets and is the only man to reach all four major semis this year.
After playing more than 4 1/2 hours in each of the first two rounds, Zverev hasn’t been on the court more than 2 1/2 in his last three matches.
“In other tournaments I would have been out in the first round but here I can fight back and play best-of-five, play 4 1/2 hours and somehow win the match and somehow get into the tournament,” Zverev said. “And then I start playing better throughout the tournament and definitely happy to be in the semifinals here, but of course I want to go further.”
He went to the final in 2020 but blew a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. That was the closest he would come to a major title until his victory this year at Roland Garros and the German now is 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.
“He’s been in top-five for so many years,” Khachanov said. “This year he did also step forward. He won his first Grand Slam, played the final in Wimbledon, as well. I mean, he’s coming up really in hot form, let’s say.”
Khachanov got at least to the third round of every major this year and this time has gone three rounds further. He was prepared to go through a tough test Wednesday but Alexander Blockx’s body wasn’t up for one.
Blockx stopped playing in the third set because of injuries to his leg, ribs and back, sending Khachanov to his third Grand Slam semifinal.
“I think my body just gave up,” Blockx said.
Khachanov won the first two sets 6-2 and 7-5, and the No. 28 seed from Belgium decided it was time to stop after Khachanov broke his serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third.
“I was preparing really, really well for that matchup. It’s not easy really to play because from one side I was feeling I was dominating from the beginning, then I started to feel like he was struggling more and more,” Khachanov said, adding he saw that Blockx was “suffering all over his body.”
Khachanov is seeking his first major final. The Russian got to the semifinals of the U.S. Open in 2022 and the Australian Open in 2023.
Khachanov was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2018 after a strange season. He reached at least the third round of all four majors for the first time but is just 10-15 in other events, with losses in the opening rounds of all three hard-court events before coming to New York.
Blockx said he nearly stopped in his last match because of his injuries. As he got treatment for multiple body parts Wednesday, he said ne was neither upset nor angry.
“To be honest, during the match, it was quite funny to me. I just had to laugh it off, because it was just something new the whole time,” he said. “I think it was just my body that started compensating as well. I was starting to do different motions than I usually do just to avoid the pain.”
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'I'm Going to Keep Fighting': Coco Gauff Rallies To Reach U.S. Open Semis
NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff knows what she is up against in her U.S. Open semifinal against Elena Rybakina, whose firepower has vaulted her to the top of the tennis rankings.
“I know I’m going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I’m going to keep fighting and give it my all,” Gauff said. “That’s all I can do.”
That’s how Gauff earned her first title in Flushing Meadows and why she’s still in the running for another.
Gauff fought off a couple match points in a tiebreaker and beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Wednesday to set up matchup against the new No. 1 in women’s tennis.
Gauff overcame a horrible start to give herself a chance at a second U.S. Open trophy. She won the tournament in 2023, when she had to shake off a similar rough beginning against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Andreeva, the French Open champion, won the first seven points and took the first set in 26 minutes before the No. 4-seeded Gauff regrouped. She said during the break after the first set she thought about fellow American Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets down in his quarterfinal match a day earlier.
“So, honestly I was just trying to literally leave the court with no regrets,” Gauff said.
Rybakina edged Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 earlier Wednesday, guaranteeing she will become No. 1 in the WTA rankings after the tournament.
The top-ranked Sabalenka faces No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the other semifinal Thursday. But no matter what happens in the remaining matches, Rybakina will end Sabalenka’s 99-week stay at No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday.
“It’s just a number right now and of course I’m in the semis so my goal is to win the tournament,” Rybakina said. “It’s an amazing achievement but you know how quick everything can change in tennis, ranking-wise, during the match, so I feel like I just need to focus on my game, try to recover and enjoy tomorrow.”
It’s the first time since 1975 that all four of the women’s top seeds reached the U.S. Open semifinals.
Gauff won a 39-shot rally to take a 5-3 lead in the tiebreaker, but Andreeva took the next three points to earn her first match point. Gauff erased that when the Russian sent a forehand long, then stopped Andreeva’s second chance at 7-6.
Then it was mostly all Gauff in the third set en route to her seventh Grand Slam semifinal.
Rybakina struggles with an early start after the US Open’s latest finish
Rybakina and Zheng were scheduled to start about eight hours after Ben Shelton finished off his victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
Rybakina said she struggled with the sun and shadows in Arthur Ashe Stadium early on after starting later in the day in her previous matches.
Zheng capitalized on Rybakina’s early struggles to get her only break of the match against one of the best servers in women’s tennis and take a 5-3 lead in the first set.
But Zheng, who had been playing from behind so much in Flushing Meadows, couldn’t hold onto the lead and Rybakina rolled through the second set in 38 minutes.
Zheng, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist from China, had to come through the qualifying tournament just to make the main draw after elbow surgery dropped her down the rankings to her current place of No. 121. Once ranked No. 4, she is guaranteed to move back into the top 60.
She made a dramatic run to the quarterfinals, erasing a 5-0 deficit in the third set against Madison Keys in the third round and then climbing out of another 5-0 hole in the first set in her fourth-round victory over No. 8-seed Iga Swiatek.
But a double-fault gave her opponent a 5-4 lead in the third set and Rybakina served it out to reach the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time.
“I think the wins that I had so far are great, but obviously today in the match I got a lot of chances in the third set, but I didn’t take it,” Zheng said. “That was a bit pity for me to lose this match, but obviously I could take positive things from U.S. Open this year.”
Rybakina came into the tournament needing only to reach the semifinals to ensure she would move past Sabalenka. Had the 27-year-old from Kazakhstan lost before the final four, Sabalenka, Pegula or Gauff could have been No. 1 next week by winning the tournament.
Setting up the men’s semifinals
Karen Khachanov reached his third Grand Slam semifinal when No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx stopped playing midway through the third set after Khachanov had won the first two. Blockx had his upper left leg wrapped and received treatment on both his lower leg and back as well.
Khachanov, who reached the semis at the U.S. Open in 2022 and the 2023 Australian Open, will play top-seeded Alexander Zverev in one semifinal match Friday. Shelton and Tiafoe will square off in an all-American semifinal match.
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'What About Me?' Ben Shelton Forgets Athlete Girlfriend After U.S. Open Win Over Alcaraz
Ben Shelton shouted out to his sister and best friend in the stands after his win over Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open early Wednesday ― but failed to mention his girlfriend, U.S. soccer star Trinity Rodman, who was also in attendance.
Women's Star Secures World No. 1 Ranking At The U.S. Open
NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Second seed Elena Rybakina ended Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen’s stirring U.S. Open run with a 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory on Wednesday, advancing to the semifinals and securing the world number one ranking for the first time.
The Australian Open winner, who will replace Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings when they are updated after the tournament, recovered from a slow start and struck 20 winners as she gradually broke down Zheng’s resistance.
Olympic champion Zheng, forced to go through qualifying after a chronic elbow injury disrupted her career, wrote a fine comeback story in New York and exited the court to applause from the crowd.
Rybakina will next play either fifth seed Mirra Andreeva or 2023 winner Coco Gauff.
Zheng saved five break points in a marathon ninth game before closing out the opening set, but her level dipped in the second set as the Australian Open winner grabbed the momentum. Zheng produced only one winner in the set, compared with 10 from her opponent.
Zheng had done some of her best work in New York when her back was against the wall and she saved three break points in the penultimate game of the third set, but Rybakina’s pressure finally told as Zheng surrendered the decisive break with a double fault.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Toby Davis)
The U.S. Open Is Burning The Midnight Oil With Record-Breaking Finishes This Year
NEW YORK (AP) — The late-night action at the U.S. Open has now reached an extreme.
Ben Shelton’s five-set thriller to beat reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, leaving few people awake to see the 4 1/2-hour marathon reach its finale on one of the sport’s biggest stages. That only added to the list of early-morning finishes that had already stirred frustration and concerns about how organizers were managing the schedule at the Grand Slam event with numerous matches straying well past night-owl hours.
Players have long loved the electricity of playing night matches under the lights in the nation’s biggest city. But the tournament had already set a record with three post-2 a.m. finishes over the first six days, as well as having two other matches go past 1 a.m.
That had included Venus Williams being subjected to the latest start in U.S. Open history at 12:13 a.m., after it took 4 hours, 36 minutes for Novak Djokovic to get knocked out in the first round.
“It’s not ideal,” Williams said at the time.
Shelton himself had a four-set second-round win against Denis Shapovalov that ended at 2:07 a.m.
Then came Tuesday night — well, Wednesday morning.
Shelton, a 23-year-old from Atlanta seeded No. 8, earned a massive win in his young career to reach his third major semifinal by taking down the second-seeded Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7). He closed the fifth-set tiebreak with a 146-mph ace and ended the reigning champion’s 18-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments.
It ended with Arthur Ashe Stadium perhaps one-third full at what became the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history.
“We’re going to break the record,” TV announcer John McEnroe said. “It’s going to be the latest finish in U.S. Open history, and we are here to witness it.”
This one set up an all-American semifinal matchup with 11th-seeded Frances Tiafoe, with the U.S. guaranteed to have a representative in Sunday’s final as it seeks its first major men’s title since Andy Roddick won at Flushing Meadows in 2003.
About 5 1/2 hours after the match’s conclusion, the U.S. Open went to social media with a lighthearted nod to the late night, offering a fill-in-the-blank letter for fans to ask their bosses to be excused from work Wednesday.
“We understand how important showing up is, but sometimes you have to make time for things you’re passionate about,” the post on X stated. “Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton put on an absolute stellar performance during their US Open quarterfinal, and ______ was a fully committed fan who was completely locked in from start to finish.”
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Alcaraz Loss Means This U.S. Open 'Curse' Is Still Alive, Fans Say
Carlos Alcaraz’s early-morning loss to Ben Shelton on Wednesday spelled the end to his bid for back-to-back U.S. Open titles, but it marked the continuation of a so-called curse that’s haunted champions in the men’s bracket since 2009.
In the 17 years since Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro defeated Roger Federer in the ’09 final, bringing the tennis legend’s run of five straight U.S. Open titles to an end, no man has repeated as singles champion.
A win that year would have made Federer the only man in the Open era with six titles.
He also would have been the first to win six titles since Bill Tilden did it in the amateur era (when no professional tennis players were in the tournament) back in 1925.
Federer recently described falling in the ’09 final as a “big regret” of his, noting that he knew he’d never get the opportunity back and “missed out on so many chances” throughout the match.
Tennis fans remarked on the title defense curse on Reddit, with one user writing that they thought Alcaraz would finally break it after coming back from injury.
“I guess some things are meant to stay,” the user wrote. “Del Potro put a curse on that court on that fateful day in 2009 and things haven’t been the same ever since.”