Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina | US Open Final 2026 | Preview & Prediction

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SPEAKER_5 (1:31)

Ready. We're served to the backhand.

John Silk (1:40)

A good forehand rally between the two of them, and all forehand from Gov just stayed in.

SPEAKER_5 (1:47)

Oh.

John Silk (1:48)

Oh, no.

SPEAKER_5 (1:50)

Oh, Gov misses the overhead, and Rybakina into the US Open Final. It will be one versus two.

Either way you look at it, live rankings are seeding Sabalenka versus Rybakina. Australian Open Final rematch.

John Silk (2:14)

Tough night for Americans.

SPEAKER_5 (2:16)

Yeah.

Not a good day for the Americans, but tomorrow will go better, regardless of what happens. But yeah, such a good performance from Rybakina after it looked too good there, and then held on early in the second, and then really started playing her best tennis. Yeah. I mean, Gov played a good match. Think got a little tight at the end, but obviously did so well to break back. And yeah, it was a good run from her.

John Silk (2:47)

Yeah, Coco is going to want that back.

SPEAKER_5 (2:49)

Definitely. But I think, I mean, like she after, you know, Wimbledon, the semifinals where she missed that ball on match point with the drop shot into the net, she seemed very level headed after that, very ready to just learn from that and move on. So I think that she is someone who can have a very healthy mentality about this sort of thing.

John Silk (3:14)

Yeah. Oh, man.

Well, for a while, she was going to be able to come through, but not to be.

So, yeah, got our US Open final match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. And, I mean, honestly, it just kind of feels right. Like, these are the two best hard-core players. And now they get to meet in the final. Plenty of history in between the two of them. They've met 17 times.

Yeah, Sabalenka leads the head-to-head 10-7. Yeah, they've met, yeah, lots recently. The last couple of years, they played in Berlin in 2025 Sabalenka won in three sets. They played Cincinnati in 25 Rybakina won in straights. Wuhan in 25 Sabalenka won in straights. WTA finals won Rybakina one. Australian Open final, which was a three-setter Rybakina one. Three-setter Indian Wells in the final, which Sabalenka won, and then semi-finals in Miami, which Sabalenka won in straights sets. So plenty of recent history in between these two. Yeah, top two players going for it.

As Amanda said, top two in the race, top two in the rankings, top two seeds. All right, Amanda, your turn, Amanda. I guess.

SPEAKER_5 (4:48)

I mean, they played some great matches this year. I mean, Miami was a little one-sided, the Australian Open final and the Indian Wells final were both just great matches. And as you said, they played 17 times. This is a very familiar match up for both of them.

And Sabalenka has been so dominant at the US Open the last few years, and it feels stupid to not pick Sabalenka. But what I've seen from Rybakina these last few weeks is just, I mean, she came in injured. We didn't even know if she was gonna play. And then she cruises through her opening rounds. She dismantles Osaka, comes back from a set down against Zhang, which as we've seen, it is hard to beat Zhang here this week. And then this match, I mean, Coco had all the momentum going into the second set. She was playing well. Rybakina had to find her best tennis, and she found it. And I just think Rybakina is playing her very best. Like since the WTA finals last year, she has found her very best tennis. And if anyone can stop the Sabalenka US. Open dynasty, I think it's Rybakina. So I'm taking Rybakina in three sets in the final.