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Elena Rybakina capped off a remarkable year by defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final to clinch her maiden US Open title, her second Grand Slam of the year, after rising to the World No. 1 ranking.
Elena Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka's two-year reign at the US Open with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory in the women's singles final on Saturday (local time), securing her maiden title at Flushing Meadows and reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking. The second-seeded Rybakina produced a composed performance to overcome the top seed and two-time defending champion in Arthur Ashe Stadium, denying Sabalenka a third consecutive US Open crown. The Kazakhstani also completed another significant victory over Sabalenka in a rivalry that has produced several major encounters. Sabalenka still leads their head-to-head record 10-7, but Rybakina had previously defeated her in the 2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh and the 2026 Australian Open final. Sabalenka had responded by beating Rybakina in the finals at Indian Wells and the semifinals in Miami before the pair met again in New York. Speaking in an interview shared by JioStar, Elena Rybakina reflected on what the US Open title means to her, the physical and mental challenges she overcame, and how she found solutions throughout the tournament. Rybakina weighed in on where this US Open triumph ranks in her career. "I would put this moment right at the top. So many things have happened in the past couple of weeks. Becoming the number one ranked player and now lifting this US Open trophy. I have been coming to this tournament for so many years, and it was never a successful Grand Slam for me. Now things have changed, and it is just amazing. This one means a lot to me, she said, as per JioStar. On being patient with her injury and her body through the tournament, she said, "It has been very difficult. I could not practice, and I had to watch everyone else hitting and preparing for the tournament while I was sidelined. I spent almost three hours in the gym every day doing recovery exercises. It was not easy, but I knew I had to stay patient and trust the process. My team kept me motivated, and I kept telling myself that all this hard work would pay off. To be standing here with the trophy makes every difficult moment worth it."On pushing through the early rounds despite a foot injury and not feeling fully comfortable, she said, "In the first few matches, I wasn't sure how my foot would hold up or how I would feel on court. We made a lot of adjustments as well, so I wasn't feeling comfortable at the start. But somehow, each day, I found a way to get through. We found a way as a team. I'm super proud of that. It shows how important it is to keep fighting even when things aren't perfect. You just take it one match at a time and find solutions. I'm really happy with how it all worked out." (ANI)
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