The 2026 US Open once again demonstrated just how important Central and Eastern Europe has become to world tennis. While New York provided the traditional American spectacle, many of the tournament’s most important stories were written by players from Poland, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Ukraine and other countries from the wider region.

The strongest statement came in the women’s competition. Elena Rybakina won the US Open title, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6–4, 5–7, 6–2 in the final. The victory gave Rybakina her first US Open crown, her third Grand Slam title overall and, perhaps even more importantly, the position of world No. 1.

Although Rybakina officially represents Kazakhstan, she was born and raised in Moscow and remains part of the broader post-Soviet tennis tradition. Her final against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka therefore underlined the remarkable strength of players originating from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet space. Sabalenka entered New York as the world No. 1 and was attempting to win the tournament for a third consecutive year. Instead, Rybakina ended both her New York winning streak and her 99-week reign at the top of the WTA rankings.

Poland: Świątek stopped in the fourth round

For Polish fans, the main focus was naturally Iga Świątek. The Pole comfortably reached the third round, defeating Xiyu Wang 6–2, 6–3 and Nadia Podoroska 6–3, 6–2 before overcoming Czech player Marie Bouzkova in two tie-breaks, 7–6, 7–6.

Her run ended in the fourth round, where she lost 5–7, 3–6 to Zheng Qinwen. It was therefore a disappointing US Open by Świątek’s very high standards: she reached the second week but never became a serious factor in the battle for the title.

The other Polish women had considerably shorter campaigns. Magdalena Fręch lost in the opening round to American Iva Jovic, while Magda Linette was beaten by Britain’s Francesca Jones. Maja Chwalińska also exited in the first round against Taylor Townsend.

The men’s tournament produced a similar picture. Hubert Hurkacz defeated Damir Džumhur in his opening match but then lost a competitive four-set encounter against eventual finalist Ben Shelton, 3–6, 7–5, 6–7, 5–7. Kamil Majchrzak also reached the second round, where he was eliminated by Valentin Vacherot.

Czech tennis again shows its depth

Perhaps no Central European country demonstrated greater depth than the Czech Republic.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Linda Nosková produced the region’s best women’s result outside the finalists. She reached the quarterfinals and came extremely close to eliminating Sabalenka. The Belarusian eventually survived a dramatic encounter 7–6, 3–6, 7–6.

Karolína Muchová reached the third round, while Marie Bouzková advanced to the same stage before losing narrowly to Świątek. Kateřina Siniaková, Nikola Bartůňková and other Czech players added to what was once again one of the deepest national representations in the women’s draw.

The Czech men also made their presence felt. Jakub Menšík reached the third round, while Jiří Lehečka also advanced to that stage before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Taken together, the Czech results confirmed something that has become increasingly obvious in recent seasons: the Czech Republic, with a population of only around 11 million, remains one of the most productive tennis nations in the world.

Ukraine and Romania

Ukraine also had several players in the second week of the tournament. Marta Kostyuk reached the fourth round before losing a tight three-set match to Linda Nosková, while Elina Svitolina reached the third round. Yuliia Starodubtseva also advanced to the third round before losing to eventual champion Rybakina.

Romania enjoyed an especially strong performance from veteran Sorana Cîrstea. She defeated Jasmine Paolini in straight sets and progressed all the way to the fourth round, where Jessica Pegula ended her run.

These performances may not have produced a trophy, but they illustrated the continued competitiveness of tennis in the region beyond its biggest stars.

The men’s title goes to Germany

The men’s tournament had a somewhat different geographical balance, but Europe ultimately prevailed there as well.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the US Open, defeating American Ben Shelton 6–3, 7–6, 5–7, 6–2 in Sunday’s final. It was Zverev’s second Grand Slam title after his breakthrough victory at Roland Garros earlier in 2026.

For much of the tournament, the Americans had appeared capable of finally ending their long wait for a home men’s champion. Frances Tiafoe and Shelton both reached the semifinals, with Shelton winning their all-American clash in four sets. Zverev, however, defeated Karen Khachanov in the other semifinal and then proved too strong for Shelton in the final.

One of the biggest surprises came much earlier: Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the opening round by Argentina’s Mariano Navone. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals but lost an extraordinary five-set match to Shelton.

A tournament that confirmed the region’s importance

Viewed from Central and Eastern Europe, the 2026 US Open was not primarily a Polish success. Świątek did not reach the quarterfinals, Hurkacz stopped in the second round, and the remaining Polish players disappeared relatively early.

The broader regional picture, however, was completely different.

The women’s tournament in particular showed the extraordinary influence of the eastern half of Europe on modern tennis. A Belarusian reached the final. Czech Linda Nosková reached the quarterfinals and came within a few points of eliminating the defending champion. Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk reached the fourth round. Romanian Sorana Cîrstea did the same. Czech, Polish and Ukrainian players appeared throughout the draw.

And the eventual champion, Elena Rybakina, represents Kazakhstan but emerged from the Russian tennis system before changing sporting nationality.

The result is an interesting paradox. The US Open remains perhaps the most distinctly American of the four Grand Slam tournaments — loud, commercial, spectacular and deeply connected with New York. Yet on the women’s side in particular, its competitive centre of gravity increasingly lies thousands of kilometres to the east.

New York provided the stage. Central and Eastern Europe once again provided many of the players who shaped the story.