September 13, 2026

Elena Rybakina won her first U.S. Open title on September 12, 2026, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the women's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, denying Sabalenka a bid for three consecutive titles. The win gave Rybakina her third career Grand Slam singles title and her second of 2026, after she beat Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January. Rybakina took the first set behind her serve, lost the second when Sabalenka fought back to force a decider, then broke away in the third to close out the match. The result also puts Rybakina at world No. 1 for the first time in her career when the new rankings take effect, and her champion's check of $5.5 million is the largest single prize in Grand Slam history.

Sixty-seven percent of Predict Six's community had picked Sabalenka to repeat, and she entered the final without having dropped a set all tournament, so the outcome went against the majority forecast. Sabalenka, who had won the previous two U.S. Open titles, was seeking to become the first woman to win three straight since Serena Williams. Rybakina's win extends a head-to-head pattern from this season, in which she has now beaten Sabalenka in both hard-court major finals contested in 2026.

Texas defeated Ohio State 24-23 in Austin on September 12, 2026, avenging last season's 14-7 loss in Columbus. The Longhorns trailed 23-3 entering the fourth quarter before scoring three unanswered touchdowns, starting with quarterback Arch Manning's touchdown pass to receiver Ryan Wingo, followed by two rushing scores from running back Hollywood Smothers that completed the comeback. Ohio State, ranked No. 1 entering the game, built its lead in the first three quarters before its offense went scoreless in the fourth while Texas's defense forced the stops that set up the rally. The 20-point turnaround made it one of the largest fourth-quarter comebacks of the 2026 college football season and reversed the result of the teams' meeting a year earlier, when Ohio State won in Columbus.

Only 39% of Predict Six's community had forecast a Longhorns win, so the majority picked the outcome that did not occur. Texas's fourth-quarter surge ran counter to the pregame line, which favored the top-ranked Buckeyes, and to the game's own trajectory through three quarters. The win moves Texas into the early-season rankings conversation and adds another data point to Arch Manning's development as a starter, following a freshman-year loss to Ohio State that had set up Saturday's rematch as a measuring-stick game for both programs.