Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend won the women's doubles title at the US Open Tennis Championship, the only one that was missing from their closet as a duo, with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over the American duo consisting of Ashlyn Kruger and Robin Montgomery on Friday.
With this victory, Czech Siniakova won her 12th major doubles title, and became the first player to win the four major titles with two different players, after previously achieving that with her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova.
The victory made Townsend the sixth current player to win a Grand Slam in doubles during her career.
The American player told reporters, "Being able to come here and win at Arthur Ashe Stadium and lift this cup is very special for me because I will never forget the experiences I went through."
Siniakova said during the cup handover ceremony, “There was a lot of tension, but in the end we succeeded in winning. I am very proud of our fighting spirit and the relationship that unites us, so thank you for standing by my side, and I hope this is not the end and that we return to play more final matches.”
Siniakova and Townsend won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 2024, the Australian Open in 2025, and the French Open this year.
Aryna Sabalenka will play the final of the US Open tennis tournament with great enthusiasm in the face of calm Elena Rybakina on Saturday, hoping to achieve her third consecutive title in the last of the four major tournaments.
Sabalenka, who comes from Belarus, is seeking to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows, while Rybakina arrives having secured the top spot in the world rankings from her rival on Monday.
The two players will meet in the final of a major tournament for the third time as part of their exciting competition, after Sabalenka won in the final of the 2023 Australian Open, before Rybakina took revenge in the same forum this year.
Sabalenka, who has 10 wins in 17 matches against Rybakina, said, "It will be a very difficult match. Her serve is strong, and her performance has improved a lot over the years from the baseline. It will be a difficult match physically and mentally. But I am ready for the battle. I am ready to do whatever it takes to win, so I am excited for this match."
Sabalenka maintained her focus on tennis, as a win after a disappointing mid-season spell would give her her fifth major title, level with Maria Sharapova and Martina Hingis.
Although their powerful playing style provided some of the most exciting matches, their behavior was very different, with Sabalenka, who has an enthusiastic nature, often drawing her energy from the crowd, while Rybakina's poise rarely wavered.
Rybakina seeks to consolidate her position among the elite of tennis players, as a victory in New York will give her her third major championship title after her great success at Wimbledon in 2022 and her victory in the Australian Open this year.
The Russian-born Kazakhstan player's arrival in the final comes shortly after she suffered an ankle problem that nearly derailed her US Open campaign before it even began, making her rise to the top all the more impressive.
Sabalenka has regained her form since the Melbourne final, and the 28-year-old defeated Rybakina in successive meetings in Indian Wells and Miami on her way to winning the two titles in March.
Rybakina said, "We have faced each other many times and trained together before as well. She is a very offensive player. It is difficult to face her mentally and physically, because she has a strong performance and a strong serve. I will need to exert all my energy, serve as best as possible, and make the right decisions at the right moments. The results are often close. Here lies the importance of the decisions that make the difference. We will see what happens, but I will definitely do my best and give everything I have."
After her 7-5, 6-2 semi-final victory over Jessica Pegula, and having dropped just one set at Flushing Meadows this year, Sabalenka appears to have a slight advantage heading into the decider.
"I love New York, I love being here, I love the energy of this city. I think that's what drives me. That's what really inspires me and keeps me going," Sabalenka said.
As for Rybakina, who defeated Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals, she faced much greater difficulties than her opponent in New York, but she remains, as usual, unaffected by this occasion.
"Even if things don't go our way in the final, I will still have other opportunities and other tournaments until the end of the year," she said. "We push each other to our limits when we play these matches, and you can clearly see the areas that need improvement. I think it's great to play against someone who pushes you to your limits."
