Women’s final updates from 9pm BST
Finalists resume epic rivalry after switch at No 1 | Email Katy
After an A+++ women’s tournament, in which we’ve seen so many must-watch matches (take your pick between this, this, this, this or this), captivating comebacks (much respect to Zheng Qinwen) and the top seeds eventually asserting their authority, it seems fitting that it all ends here: Aryna Sabalenka v Elena Rybakina, the world No 1 for the past 99 weeks v the player who will replace her at the top of the rankings on Monday.
When these two are at their best no one else on tour can live with them – well, apart from peak Iga Swiatek – though it’s been a while since we’ve seen that version of the Pole at the grand slams. But, up until this tournament, it had been a while since we’d seen the best version of Sabalenka too. Having not claimed a slam title this year or reached a final since she won Miami in March, amid a series of defeats to much lower-ranked players during the summer, the two-time defending US Open champion has rediscovered her form this fortnight, gaining momentum and equilibrium as the rounds have gone by. She looks intent on salvaging her slam season In New York – as she did last year too – and losing her No 1 ranking will no doubt make her even more determined to prove a point today, while Rybakina will be full of confidence and feeling on top of the world, quite literally, after scaling the summit for the first time in her career.
