Elena Rybakina captured the 2026 US Open women’s singles crown by defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 in the final. This victory marked Rybakina’s third Grand Slam title and the 14th WTA Tour singles trophy of her career. She became only the sixth women’s singles player since 1988 to sweep both hardcourt majors in a single season. Additionally, Sabalenka and Rybakina became the first pair of women’s singles competitors to face off in both hardcourt major finals in the same year since Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario accomplished the feat in 1994. It was also the first US Open final featuring the top two seeds since 2013.

By advancing to the semifinals, Rybakina secured the world No. 1 singles ranking for the first time, becoming the 30th player in history to reach the top spot and the first Kazakhstani athlete to hold a world No. 1 ranking in any sport. Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff were also in the running for the top ranking at the start of the tournament.

At 46 years old, Venus Williams became the oldest woman to appear in the US Open singles main draw since Renée Richards in 1981, entering via a wildcard. Her first-round match against Sofia Kenin began at 12:13 AM, setting a new tournament record for the latest start, breaking the previous mark of 12:08 AM set during the 2024 third-round clash between Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova. Zheng Qinwen became the first qualifier to reach the quarterfinals since Emma Raducanu in 2021.

For the first time since 1975 at the US Open—and since the 2009 Wimbledon at any major—all top four seeds advanced to the semifinals. The tournament also marked the first time since 1998 that the top six seeds made it to the quarterfinals at the US Open. A total of 26 of the 32 seeds reached the third round, tying the highest number of seeds to do so at a major since the 32-seed system was introduced in 2001, matching the 2007 French Open.