What happened when the top two seeds last met in the US Open women’s final ahead of Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will contest the 2026 US Open women’s singles final on Saturday, September 12.

Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula, and , setting up a rematch of this year’s Australian Open final.

It will be the first women’s singles final between the top two seeds in 13 years.

With that in mind… What happened in the 2013 US Open women’s singles final?

Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka contested the last women’s US Open final between top seeds

13 years ago, and Victoria Azarenka arrived in New York as the top two seeds.

Both players had already won a Grand Slam that year, with Azarenka winning in Melbourne, before Williams won Roland Garros.

2013 US Open women’s singles – Top eight seeds

• 1. Serena Williams
• 2. Victoria Azarenka
• 3. Agnieszka Radwanska
• 4. Sara Errani
• 5. Li Na
• 6. Caroline Wozniacki
• 7. Petra Kvitova
• 8. Angelique Kerber

Both players were keen to end their 2013 Grand Slam campaigns on a high note, and Williams, in particular, made a dominant start to the US Open.

Serena Williams’ route to the 2013 US Open final

Round	Opponent	Score
First round	Francesca Schiavone	6-0, 6-1
Second round	Galina Voskoboeva	6-3, 6-0
Third round	Yaroslava Shvedova	6-3, 6-1
Fourth round	Sloane Stephens	6-4, 6-1
Quarter-final	Carla Suarez Navarro	6-0, 6-0
Semi-final	Li Na	6-0, 6-3

The American didn’t drop more than four games in a set on her way to the final.

Williams qualified for the Championship match having lost just 16 games.

Azarenka had a slightly tougher time, falling behind against Alize Cornet in the third round and Ana Ivanovic in the fourth, but recovered well to join Williams in the final.

Victoria Azarenka’s route to the 2013 US Open final

Round	Opponent	Score
First round	Dinah Pfizenmaier	6-0, 6-0
Second round	Aleksandra Wozniak	6-3, 6-1
Third round	Alize Cornet	6-7, 6-3, 6-2
Fourth round	Ana Ivanovic	4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Quarter-final	Daniela Hantuchova	6-2, 6-3
Semi-final	Flavia Pennetta	6-4, 6-2

It was tough to predict who would win the final, but recent history indicated the Belarusian was the favourite.

Azarenka had defeated Williams in the Cincinnati Open final just before the US Open started.

Momentum swung back and forth in the first set, but after Williams looked in trouble at 4-5, Azarenka buckled under the pressure and lost the opener 5-7.

She then charged towards victory, taking a 4-1 lead in the second set, moving to within two games of the US Open title.

However, Azarenka wasn’t done fighting and broke back, eventually forcing Williams into a tiebreaker.

Azarenka won the second-set tiebreak, 7-6 (8-6), extending the US Open final.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t maintain the level she showed in set two in the decider.

Williams secured an early break and never looked back, winning the final set 6-1 to claim her 17th Grand Slam title.

Williams was quick to praise Azarenka after the match.

“Vika’s such a great opponent, such a great fighter, and that’s why she’s been able to win multiple Grand Slams,” she said.

“That’s why it was never over until match point.”

A Belarusian lost the last time the top two seeds met in a US Open final, but will Sabalenka meet the same fate on Saturday?

Who is the favourite to win the 2026 US Open final?

Sabalenka is the two-time defending champion and the top seed, although many doubt her US Open title-winning credentials.

We asked our TalkingPoints users to pick their US Open winner, and two-thirds backed Rybakina over Sabalenka.

TalkingPoints vote share – 2026 US Open women’s singles final

• Elena Rybakina – 66.33%
• Aryna Sabalenka – 33.67%

In fairness, Rybakina is the new world number one and won their most recent Grand Slam final encounter in Melbourne, but that still seems harsh on Sabalenka.

Whether she can prove the fans wrong and retain her US Open title remains to be seen.