History in the Making! Sabalenka Eyes a Third US Open Crown in a Row
Quick Summary
The 2026 US Open tennis tournament is rolling through its third round in New York City. Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka won her match on Friday and moved into the fourth round. She is now chasing something no woman has done in more than a decade — winning the US Open three years in a row.
What Happened?
Every September, the world’s best tennis players come to Flushing Meadows in New York for the US Open — the last and most exciting of tennis’s four biggest tournaments, called Grand Slams. This year’s prize pool is a record-breaking 101 million dollars, the largest in tennis history.
On Friday, the world’s number-one women’s player, Aryna Sabalenka, faced a tough test against Kamilla Rakhimova. The match was harder than expected. Rakhimova pushed Sabalenka in the second set, stretching it to 54 minutes. But Sabalenka stayed calm and won 6-3, 6-4 to reach the round of 16.
If she wins the whole tournament, Sabalenka would become only the third woman in the Open Era — the period since 1968 — to win the US Open three straight years. The last person to do it was the legendary Serena Williams, from 2012 to 2014. That was over a decade ago.
Also advancing Friday was third-seeded American Jessica Pegula. Pegula dropped the first set to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez but battled back impressively to win the next two sets and advance.
In the men’s draw, former champion Daniil Medvedev also cruised through, becoming the first man to reach the fourth round in this year’s tournament. Defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz — playing his first Grand Slam after recovering from a wrist injury — is also still in the field.
Friday’s night session added an extra treat: tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams played together in the women’s doubles draw. The stadium crowd cheered loudly for both sisters.
Why Does It Matter?
Winning three Grand Slams in a row in the same tournament is extremely rare. It takes skill, mental toughness, and also a little luck staying healthy across an entire year. If Sabalenka pulls it off, she will cement her place among the all-time greats of tennis.
For American fans, watching Jessica Pegula chase a first Grand Slam title is equally exciting. Pegula has come close before, reaching the final in 2024, and she looks stronger than ever this year.
Big Words
- Grand Slam — one of the four most important tennis tournaments in the world; they are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
- Seed — a ranking given to top players before a tournament starts, based on how good they are, so the best players usually don’t face each other until the later rounds.
- Round of 16 — the stage of a tournament when 16 players remain, meaning the player must win four more matches to be champion.
- Open Era — the period starting in 1968 when professional players were allowed to enter Grand Slam tournaments, not just amateurs.
Fun Fact
The US Open is played on blue hard courts — but it wasn’t always blue! For most of its history, the courts were green. They switched to the now-famous blue color in 2005 to make the yellow tennis ball easier to see on TV.
Think About It
Imagine you’re a tennis player hoping to win three championships in a row. What do you think would be the hardest part — the physical game, or the mental pressure?
Sources
- AP/Baltimore Sun — Sabalenka, Pegula get through tough tests at US Open
- ESPN — Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula advance to US Open 4th round
- NBC Sports — Sabalenka, Pegula get through tough tests at US Open
- Olympics.com — US Open 2026: Full competition schedule and live results