From barely walking to lifting the trophy - Rybakina's US Open triumph
Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina overcame a foot injury to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final, becoming the new world number one.
Elena Rybakina arrived in New York barely able to walk without pain after aggravating a foot injury, yet she left the city as US Open champion and the new world number one. In Saturday's final, the 27-year-old Kazakh defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 5-7 6-2, repeating the win she achieved over the same opponent at January's Australian Open.
Rybakina's injury flared up during her Cincinnati quarter-final against Iga Swiatek last month, just over a week before the tournament began. An MRI scan in New York brought discouraging results, and she could not walk without pain for several days. With help from a doctor based in Australia and her team, a recovery plan was put together - a week without on-court training, daily gym recovery sessions, plus outings to dinner and the cinema to take her mind off the situation.
She won her first four matches at Flushing Meadows without dropping a set, including a win over four-time major champion Naomi Osaka. She went on to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals and third seed Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
In the final, despite landing only 27% of first serves in the opening set, Rybakina won it without facing a break point. Sabalenka leveled the match by taking the second set, but Rybakina dominated the decider. Despite two double faults while serving for the championship, she stayed composed and sealed her third Grand Slam title with an ace.
On Monday, Rybakina becomes the 30th woman in tennis history to reach the world number one ranking, replacing Sabalenka, who had held the top spot for 99 weeks. Rybakina's collection now includes Wimbledon (2022) and the Australian Open (January 2026) titles, leaving only the French Open missing from a career Grand Slam.
