Thrilling Tennis, Magic Moments and Insufferable Influencers: How the 2026 US Open unfolded

This year's US Open has blessed us with moments we will never forget. Novak Djokovic potentially played his last Arthur Ashe match, out-of-action Alcaraz returned with the same exhilarating tennis everyone loves him for. However, one thing haunted this year's tournament, and that was the invitation of social media influencers. With many players, such as Naomi Osaka, pointing out TikTok stars disrupting matches with their over-the-top ring lights, sometimes blinding the players trying to focus on their matches. Wimbledon Tennis has now stated that influencers will be banned from filming their own content at next year's tournament, hopefully creating an end to the embarrassment of influencers at these events.

But in more appealing news, it has been an incredible two weeks of thrilling tennis and magical moments, all accumulating to two outstanding final matches: Elena Rybakina vs Aryna Sabalenka and Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton. But how did they unfold?

Women’s Bracket

Semi-Finals

It was a top four semi-final lineup this year, the first time this has been achieved since 1975. Coco Gauff (4) and Jessica Pegula (3) were set up to potentially create the first Women’s All-American Final at the US Open since 2017 but were unfortunately thwarted by the two best players in women’s tennis. Elena Rybakina came back from a set down to Gauff, dispatching her with the raw power and service accuracy she is renowned for. Pegula faced a tough challenge against Aryna Sabalenka, who was determined to secure her third consecutive US Open Championship.

It was agony for the Americans, but what followed was a battle for the ages.

Finals

The women’s US Open final saw the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds face off for the first time since Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka did in 2013. Yet this final had a much different feel. Elena Rybakina had already snatched the world no. 1 spot from Sabalenka a few days before the final, meaning that no matter who won, the Kazakh would still come out on top by the end of 2026. Aryna Sabalenka’s 2026 had already been full of turmoil, losing to this same opponent in the final of the Australian Open earlier this year. With this being their third major final meeting, it was never clear as to who would come out victorious.

Rybakina began strong, winning the first set 6-4, pushing Sabalenka back with her powerful forehands and baseline play. Sabalenka returned fiercely, gaining the break point she had desired all match to win the second set 7-5. However, it wasn’t meant to be for Sabalenka, as Rybakina showed why she is now the best player in the world, dismantling her 6-2 in the final set.

Sabalenka has now reached eight hard court Grand Slam finals in a row, but her record in these finals has been anything but great. She sits at 4-6 in Grand Slam finals, contributing to her collapse from world no. 1—a position she held for 99 weeks. She has to now find a new way of defeating her fierce rival, but does she have the mental strength to do so?

Rybakina, on the other hand, has been breaking record after record. Finishing the match with a 12th ace, she ended the year with over 400 aces shot, the most out of any woman on the WTA tour. As well as this, she has now won Wimbledon in 2022, the 2026 Australian Open, and now the 2026 US Open. She is only a French Open away from completing the career Grand Slam.

What greatness could be next for Elena Rybakina?

Men’s Bracket

Semi-Finals

With one all-American semi-final and a familiar match-up between Zverev and Khachanov, the men’s US Open semi-finals were nothing short of spectacular. Starting with Alexander Zverev versus Karen Khachanov. The pair have had thrilling matches over the years, most notably in 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics, where the German defeated the Russian in two sets to take the gold medal. Now facing off in the semi-finals of a major championship, Zverev once again defeated Khachanov in straight sets, but it wasn’t easy. The match saw two tiebreaks, both exceeding the 7-point limit. Khachanov led 5-3 and 5-2 in both, unable to capitalize on his advantage, and sadly bowed out of what was an extraordinary run, one that not many people saw coming.

On the other side of the draw, Ben Shelton came back from a set down to overcome his close friend Francis Tiafoe, losing his third US Open semi-final in five years. Yet with Shelton beating Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-final, it seemed inevitable for the young American to make his debut in a major final.

Finals

Six years on from his last US Open final appearance, Alexander Zverev entered his sixth Grand Slam final as the clear favorite, with Ben Shelton having all the pressure to prove himself on the biggest stage. It had been 23 years since the last American man had won a major singles title, but with his big-hitting service and win over Carlos Alcaraz, the American seemed to have everything going for him before the start of the final. Yet the experience of the occasion overcame him.

Zverev went on to win in four sets, at some points making it seem a routine rather than a final. Excluding Shelton’s third set win, he struggled to take any advantage on his serve, consistently being taken to deuce games, with Zverev cruising on his own serve. It was definitely a learning curve for Ben Shelton, one that he will remember forever. There will be hope that he makes it back again next year.

At the start of the season, there were doubts as to if Alexander Zverev could get over the line at major tournaments. With the emergence of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, all hope seemed to have been lost in his attempts to achieve victory. Now at the end of the season, he can call himself a double Grand Slam singles champion. Many suggest that the path was cleared through the injuries of Sinner and Alcaraz this year, but take nothing away from his achievement. The mental strength to come back after losing three major finals and then win two out of three in one year will forever be remembered in tennis history.

With the end of the season now upon us, it will be interesting to see if Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will bounce back to the form they showed in 2024 and 2025. In the meantime, it’s great to see new faces emerging victorious.