NEW YORK: Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will finish the Grand Slam season the way it started.
The top two women in the world rankings meet Saturday in the US Open final, where Sabalenka will try to become the first player to win three in a row since Serena Williams from 2012-14.
Even if she does, Rybakina will pass her on Monday and become No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Sabalenka has held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks, but Rybakina gained enough points to unseat her by reaching the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.
Rybakina got a start on cutting into the deficit by beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. The rematch Saturday makes this just the second time since the Australian Open became a hard-court event in 1988 that the same women will play in the finals of both tournaments. Stefanie Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did it in 1994.
Rybakina also has won a Wimbledon title and is playing for her first US Open trophy. To get it, she has to stop Sabalenka’s 19-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows, where she hasn’t lost since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.
Sabalenka won the two other meetings this season — both on hard courts — in Indian Wells and Miami. She leads their rivalry 10-7.
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