The stars aligned in Elena Rybakina’s favour for a US Open triumph the Kazakh never expected on Saturday, as she leaves New York the champion and new world number one despite an injury that nearly derailed her campaign.
Rybakina beat the twice defending champion Aryna Sabalenka for the trophy little more than three weeks after an ankle injury that forced her out of the Cincinnati tune-up tournament, raising serious questions over whether she would even compete in New York.
“I was so upset. I didn’t know actually how it’s going to be day by day. We arrive in New York. We did MRI. It didn’t look that great. We had to talk with a lot of doctors to get opinions (on) what we should do,” she said.
“For seven days I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there spending, a lot of recovery, treatments.”
Fears over her fitness slowly melted away through a series of comprehensive victories, as she beat twice winner Naomi Osaka to get past the fourth round for the first time and overcame the 2023 champion Coco Gauff in the semifinal.
And she marched confidently into Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday, having already assured an end to Sabalenka’s 99-week run at the top of the rankings.
“It’s tough to find words right now, honestly. I didn’t expect nothing like this coming to this tournament,” said Rybakina, after collecting her third major title and second of the season. “Somehow everything aligned together.”
The win marks the latest chapter in a prolific rivalry, the 18th meeting between the two players in a compelling cat-and-mouse saga.
Rybakina beat Sabalenka in the title match at the 2025 WTA Finals, before besting the Belarusian in the Australian Open final little more than two months later.
Sabalenka took the momentum back – for a handful of weeks, at least – as she beat the Kazakh in the Indian Wells final and in the penultimate stage in Miami.
“I don’t know what future will bring, but it’s always very difficult matches against Aryna, and I feel like we push each other to be better after such tough battles,” she told reporters.
“I feel like not only with her, with also other players, top players. You always want to try something new, to change in your game, to be better.
“I don’t know what future is going to bring, but I hope success and some more wins.”
Enigmatic star
Rybakina may have punctuated her rise to world number one with a US Open title on Saturday, but the Kazakh star at the summit of the women’s game remains an enigmatic figure.
The powerful game is there to see, but the thoughts and emotions driving it are largely shrouded — and that’s the way Rybakina prefers it to be.
When Rybakina beat Ons Jabeur for her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022, she didn’t shout with joy or flop to the grass.
She raised one clenched fist before heading to her chair.
“I’m going to have to teach her how to celebrate properly,” Jabeur quipped.
But Moscow-born Rybakina, who opted in 2018 to represent Kazakhstan, says it’s a tactical choice to keep her feelings in check on court.
“Well, it’s a lot of emotions,” she said. “I’m trying to hide it, because you just don’t want to let the opponent also see your frustration when something is going wrong.
“People who know me well, long enough, they read even little changes in my face.”
Rybakina has found her famous composure challenged in the face of off-court controversy.
Russian players were banned the year she won Wimbledon, and she faced numerous questions about choosing to play under the Kazakh flag when she was a little-known 19-year-old ranked 175th in the world.
“They believed in me. There is no more question about how I feel,” she snapped then, and when she cemented her rise to number one in the world by reaching the semifinals in New York she spoke proudly of representing the country that backed her pro career.
“Every time I come back to Kazakhstan, no matter which city I go, it’s always so many kids,” she said. “Now they play tennis, and more and more are coming to the tennis facilities. It just proves that everything is possible if you believe, if you work hard.”
But tennis stardom wasn’t something she dreamed of as child, Rybakina said.
“I never thought that I’m going to be professional or I’m going to be even playing on these kind of tournaments on the biggest stages.
“I was just enjoying playing tennis after school, hanging out with the friends. It was just for fun.”
Now she’s a three-time Grand Slam champion. She bested Sabalenka in the Australian Open final in January to claim her second, four years after her Wimbledon triumph.
The intervening years had seen her on-off Croatian coach Stefano Vukov — who guided her to Wimbledon success — suspended over a potential breach of the WTA’s code of conduct.
Vukov was reported to have used harsh and abusive behaviour towards players, claims he denied.
Cool as a cucumber
Rybakina was exasperated by the allegations and suspension, refusing to pose for a photo with WTA chief executive Portia Archer after Rybakina’s victory at the Riyadh Masters in November 2025.
She’s had Vukov back in her corner since the suspension was lifted.
Now the winner of 14 titles, Rybakina has twice led the WTA in aces in a season and has significantly improved her baseline game, according to American world number three Jessica Pegula.
But Pegula, like Gauff, thinks Rybakina’s self-control remains her greatest strength.
“Cool as a cucumber,” Pegula said after falling to Rybakina in the Australian Open semifinals. “She’s so chill. She doesn’t really give you anything.
“You’re not really sure if she’s upset or if she’s excited or what it is. I think in today’s game that goes a long way.”
Source: Khaleej Times