Rybakina Overpowers Osaka to Advance at US Open
Naomi Osaka’s latest New York run ended not with a roar, but with a hard stop.
The two-time US Open champion was swept aside on Monday by a ruthless Elena Rybakina, who needed just two sets – 6-1, 6-4 – to shut the door on Osaka’s bid for a third crown at Flushing Meadows.
Rybakina Ruthless, Osaka Flat
From the opening games, there was no mistaking who held the rhythm of the match. Rybakina, the No. 2 seed and reigning Australian Open champion, stepped in on returns, dictated with her first strike, and never really let Osaka breathe.
The first set raced by in 28 minutes, Osaka broken twice and unable to find the depth or accuracy that once made her the most feared hard-court player in the world. Rybakina’s serve, as so often, set the tone. Osaka saw almost nothing cheap. When she did, she couldn’t do enough with it.
The second set brought more resistance. Osaka steadied, landed more first serves, and began to trade more evenly from the baseline. But every time she threatened to claw her way back, Rybakina slammed the door with a booming serve or a flat backhand into the corner. The scoreline tightened. The balance of power did not.
One last hold from Rybakina, and Osaka’s campaign was over in 71 minutes.
Osaka’s Season of Almost
This defeat continues a frustrating pattern for Osaka in 2026: deep enough into the majors to be relevant, not deep enough to truly contend.
She arrived in New York having not gone beyond the quarterfinals at any major this season. An abdominal injury kept her out of the Australian Open. She reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, then the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Solid results, but not the standard she once set.
In the third round here, she had shown her fighting edge, grinding past Elise Mertens 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a tense, late-night battle that hinted at a possible resurgence. That win pushed her into the second week again, after a semifinal run at last year’s US Open.
But the step from contender to champion remains missing. With Monday’s loss, Osaka goes a fifth straight year without lifting a major trophy, a stark contrast to the surge that brought her the US Open titles in 2018 and 2020.
Rybakina’s Charge Continues
For Rybakina, this was more than just a routine win over a former champion. It was a marker.
The 27-year-old, already a champion at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, is now into the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in her career. The hard courts of New York have never felt more like home.
She is building a résumé that travels across surfaces and continents, and this fortnight is starting to look like another serious push for a major. The power has always been there; the composure and consistency are now catching up.
Next up is Qinwen Zheng on Wednesday, and that matchup carries its own intrigue.
Zheng Upsets Swiatek, Sets Quarterfinal Clash
Zheng produced one of the standout results of the tournament on Monday, taking out No. 8 seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in a statement performance.
Swiatek, a multiple major champion and one of the sport’s standard-bearers, had no answer to Zheng’s fearless hitting and relentless pressure in key moments. The Chinese star held her nerve in the tight first set, then accelerated as Swiatek faltered.
That win now sends Zheng into a quarterfinal showdown with Rybakina that promises heavy hitting and little margin for error. One is already a multi-slam champion. The other is knocking loudly on the door.
Rybakina is edging closer to yet another major title. Osaka, for now, is left to confront a different question: how much longer before New York hears her championship roar again?
