Elena Rybakina commented on her victory at US Open-2026. The Kazakhstani tennis player admitted that before the start of the tournament, due to an injury, she did not expect such a result, and after the final it was still difficult for her to fully grasp the scale of her triumph. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Victory over Sabalenka in three sets
In the final, Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka in three sets – 6:4, 5:7, 6:2. Our tennis player became US Open champion for the first time and claimed her third Grand Slam title after Wimbledon-2022 and the Australian Open-2026.
Immediately after the final, Rybakina admitted that her result in New York was unexpected even for herself.
"Honestly, I didn't expect anything like this when I came to this tournament. There was a small injury, but somehow everything came together. I can't find the words, sorry," Rybakina said at the award ceremony.
Respect for Sabalenka
Elena also paid tribute to Sabalenka, who could have won the US Open for the third time in a row.
"Aryna, you are a great champion. It's so hard to play against you. You gave your maximum, you were just dying on the court, and I tried to return every ball. I want to congratulate you and your team. The guys are doing an incredible job."
The final was the second meeting between Rybakina and Sabalenka in a decisive Grand Slam match in 2026. In January, the Kazakhstani player beat the Belarusian in the Australian Open final.
Thanks to the fans on court
Separately, Rybakina thanked the spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The victory was especially significant for her given her previous results at the US Open.
"I want to say thank you to such wonderful fans for the amazing atmosphere. I have honestly been playing here for 10 years, right? I have never performed successfully, nothing close to what happened this year. So it's just incredible."
During the award ceremony, the tennis player separately addressed the people who helped her achieve the result.
"Thank you very much to my team. Stefanos, Stas, my family, all my friends. Thank you very much, guys, you are the best! Without you, all of this would be unreal."
Rybakina ended her speech with gratitude to the tournament organizers and admitted that she herself has not yet fully realized what happened.
"This atmosphere is just something incredible. Everything seems unreal. So thank you very much to everyone. And, yes, I look forward to next year!"
A historic US Open
The triumph in New York completed a historic US Open for Rybakina. Even after her victory over Zheng in the quarterfinals, she guaranteed herself the No. 1 spot in the WTA rankings. She will become the 30th tennis player in history to top the WTA singles rankings.