Elena Rybakina clinched the title at the US Open—the year’s fourth and final Grand Slam—on Saturday by defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the women’s singles final. With this victory, she secured her third Grand Slam title and took a significant step toward becoming the world number one.

The Russian-born Kazakhstani player displayed remarkable composure in the high-stakes match. She snapped Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and denied the Belarusian player the chance to win three consecutive New York titles—a feat previously achieved by Serena Williams and Chris Evert.

Sabalenka’s dream of a third consecutive title shattered

Rybakina’s victory dashed Sabalenka’s hopes of becoming the US Open champion for the third time in a row. It also brought an end to her 20-match winning streak at the tournament. Sabalenka had held the world number one ranking for the past 99 weeks.

Rybakina dominates the first set

The first set saw a fierce contest between the two players, but Rybakina played better at crucial moments to take the set 6-4. During the set, Sabalenka received a warning for hitting the ball into the stands in anger.

Sabalenka bounces back in the second set

Sabalenka regained her rhythm in the second set. She kept the pressure on Rybakina and, after the score was tied at 5-5, secured a break to win the set 7-5, forcing the match into a deciding third set.

Rybakina dominates again in the third set

Rybakina played aggressively from the start of the deciding set, establishing a 5-2 lead. She then won the match on match point. The final lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes.