It is often said that less is more, but on this occasion more is more equals a lot. The best. Without a doubt. So, why settle for something good if this Saturday (22:00, Movistar+) you can enjoy the duel of duels in the women’s final? Despite all odds, both delivered and meet again. Aryna Sabalenka (7-5 and 6-2 against Jessica Pegula) and Elena Rybakina (3-6, 6-4 and 6-4 against Coco Gauff) resolved their respective semifinal battles and will meet for the third time in a major final, the second this season. From end to end. At the beginning of the year, the latter prevailed in Melbourne and now challenges the number one again, who on Monday will lose the throne, hence the need for a rematch: Aryna, in all her expression.
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After several months struggling and, in New York, several tough matches, the Minsk native (28 years old) showed her most overwhelming version this Friday and reached the Flushing Meadows finale for the fourth consecutive time, where her presence represents an exception not seen in over a decade; specifically, 12 years have passed since Serena Williams, the all-powerful queen of the era, chained her third consecutive victory (2012-2014) in a tournament that, from then on, became a true carousel. Without an owner. Or so the record shows. Until Sabalenka’s triumphant breakthrough two years ago, there were eight different champions. In 2024, however, she arrived with the hammer.
Once she left her first mark, one victory after another — now 20 in a row — and now a clash of titans with the player who will dethrone her on Monday, Rybakina. The 27-year-old Kazakh defeated her on January 31, although three years earlier she lost the first encounter on Australia’s remote court. In between, also, an episode in the master final ten months ago.
They have faced each other 17 times, with a 10-7 advantage for Sabalenka, but a 2-4 disadvantage in decisive matches. This US Open now offers the best possible final, between number one and two, or two and one, depending on how you see it. But before handing over the baton, the Belarusian gave a resounding and necessary exhibition. “Yes, I was desperate to achieve a win like this,” she admitted after resolving (in 1h 20m) the match against the consistent Pegula, third in the world and also a contender for number one; however, Rybakina’s access to the semifinals shattered all calculations. A devastating effect. Nothing at all. From Monday, the Kazakh will be at the top, who quietly is gaining the face of a great tennis player.
The crowd was excited by Gauff’s first set, but her cold law put things in place (2h 09m) and no one remembers that she arrived in New York with questions, hurting from a heel. At this point, nothing hurts anymore. In her style, she once again showed she is strong against the strong. And the American, fourth on the list, tried to raise the wall that has supported her these days, but Rybakina’s crushing shot — 22 winners, compared to the 29 unleashed by Sabalenka in the previous round — was again too much and surely the public will enjoy it on Saturday; however, they regret the loss of the local double chance. Pegula and Coco will not be there, but in exchange, the best rivalry of the moment. Sabalenka-Rybakina, or Rybakina-Sabalenka. Not bad.
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DATA ON THE CHANGE OF GUARD
Sabalenka has completed an uninterrupted reign of 99 weeks, with a total of 107 throughout her career. That figure places her tenth in the historical ranking of number ones, ahead of American Lindsay Davenport (98) and just behind Belgian Justine Henin (117).
Rybakina, for her part, now has a virtual lead of 1,326 points, which would increase if she is the final winner. She will soon surpass Australian Evonne Goolagong (two weeks) and also Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza (four).
The great dominator of the WTA ranking (created in 1975) is German Steffi Graf (377). She is followed by Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), and Martina Hingis (209). In Spanish terms, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario defended the lead for 12 weeks (in three periods in 1995).
Currently, there are eight active players who have reached the top. In hierarchical order, they are Serena, Iga Swiatek (125), Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka (51), Naomi Osaka (25), Venus Williams (11), Karolina Pliskova (8), and Elena Rybakina.
